Speaking of my 'Roubaix' bike, I had to solve a curious tire problem with that machine. The ride was smooth other than a once-in-a-revolution pogo bump I was getting. Spinning the tire in the air showed a significant high spot. I thought that maybe the tire casing was defective, letting the tube bulge out, but when I pulled the bead away from the rim, I saw something different. The thick area around the valve of the tube was so wide that it didn't allow the bead to seat properly. You can see that in the picture above. Solution - new tube. I chalked this one up to tube manufacturer quality control.
In the wake of Sunday's Paris-Roubaix, much has been made in the popular cycling press about the equipment used to carry the riders over the very long and very rough course. In addition to travelling over many kilometers of cobbled road, the race can be wet, muddy and very hard on equipment and riders. James Huang and the gang at cyclingnews.com have published at least two reviews of Roubaix bikes. One before and one after the race. By the way, the manner in which the pro mechanics are setting up the race bikes totally validates my comments on equipment for the Boulder Roubaix (back in August of '08).
Anyway, on Sunday morning, I went out for a ride of my own on my custom steel creation and thought I'd share the technical specs with readers hungry to know what a local club pack rider is sporting this year.
Nothing but the best shock absorbing 25mm tires on box section, hand-laced aluminum rims.
Top tube cable routing - keeps cables clean and shifting performance high. If that finish gets nicked by a rock - just add more clear coat.
Lugged steal construction. Really absorbs the shock as I speed over the cobbles (or more likely, poorly paved mountain roads).
All new high tech Campagnolo Mirage 3x9 drive train. I've got more gears than Texas has steers.
Custom badging indicates that this is a special build.
Plenty of mud clearance between the Tektro brakes and Nashbar carbon cyclocross fork. The combo of the carbon fork and steel frame makes it pretty supple.
More clearance out back. I could suck a small animal through my spokes and keep on rocking.
There you have it folks. Don't tell the pro tour mechanics what I'm doing. Got to keep that competitive edge.
Two big fun events coming up next weekend and you can only go to one. The first, you probably don't know about. The GoLite factory sale in Boulder, CO. I would seriously fly to Boulder for this. It's a great tradition. Standing in line, trying on clothing with 100 of your closest friends watching, piling your arms high with a years worth of outdoor wear and gear.
The second you ought to know about. Sea Otter. I'll be at this bike festival that runs from April 16th to 19th. On Saturday, I'll be riding the on the off road tour on my orange niner. Afterwards, I'll be walking the expo grounds (probably with a backpack sporting the nippleworks logo). If you see someone fitting this description, say hi. If it's me, I'll give you a nippleworks decal. If it's someone else, you just made a friend.
I saw this at a race recently. I have the same el-cheapo Performance brand repair stand and am underwhelmed at the quality of the clamp. This mechanic has done it right with a strap that's easy on the frame and secure.
This is the most strongest woman I have ever seen. Watching her move is like watching an animated version of this: But, with a lot of grace and a little bit of humor worked in to her act. Ines does acrobatic cycling.
There she is with her trick bike. It has a 1x1 gear ratio and a straight fork. No trail. It still has a bit of rake, but Ines has no trouble steering it with her feet, head, butt or any of the other body parts she (and not you) is able to balance on. She also has a huge riveted leather saddle, good for standing on, and a pretty fancy chrome handlebar/stem combo that looks like it was made with some metalworking craftsmanship.
That guy standing next to her in the picture is planning on riding a wacky penny farthing kind of bike across the country to raise awareness about a transcontinental bicycle pathway. He's a bit of a nutter. More on him later. For now, enjoy this fantasticness:
True to their word, Blackburn sent me a brand new hose for my pump. They didn't even ask for money to cover postage. Here's a picture, complete with the invoice for $0.00:
We here at nippleworks love April Fools as much as the next guy. A solid April Fools post would have been awesome, but this year, we just didn't have it in us. Instead, we offer you this:
On a totally unrelated note, there was a little anti-rust activity lately. Taking Jobst Brandt's advice (which, it should be pointed out is copious and sometimes eyebrow raising), I plugged up the weep holes on my steel commuter bike. Hence, no more crying allowed.
All I did was mix up a thimble-full of Devcon epoxy and dab it in the holes. Totally reversible with a small drill bit, but also pretty easy and bomb proof. The theory here is that these holes are only necessary for gases to escape during the welding or brazing process. Without an escape route for heated air or gas, bubbles will form in the weld or brazing compound, weakening the joint. Jobst's theory goes on to state that once the frame is welded and as long as the inside of the tube is dry, these holes can be plugged. In fact, to plug them is to prevent water incursion increasing the corrosion resistance of the frame. Other people claim that they allow the frame to dry out, but honestly, if they're plugged, how's water going to get in in the first place? Oh, and he's also got some advice about greasing up your seat post slit.
