I pulled the 2100 off the trainer yesterday morning so I could do two hours in the 100-degree heat. My chain squealed so badly after 3/4 mile that I turned around. The sad, embarrassing fact is that I'd rusted out the 113-link heart of my drive train. The 2100 went in the back of the car to The Spin Cycle. My hope was to have it back by Wednesday — no bike, no time trial. Carl was pedalling a beach cruiser outside the store. I sheepishly admitted my problem, expecting rolling eyes and a stern "maybe" for Wednesday. Instead, what I get is an enthusiastic $3 fix: a couple of chain pins and a pint and a half of kerosene. After all, I have all the tools, only needed a few dollars of parts, so why not? I left the shop as pumped as Carl.
I got home, used the chain tool on my Taco Tool to pop out a chain pin and get the chain in the coffee can full of kerosene. Popping out that chain pin all the way was a big, big mistake. Leave that chain pin in until you are ready to insert the new chain pin. The new chain pin, will, after all, drive out the old one and the chain will disassemble with the old one flush to the edge. Otherwise it's impossible to determine the orientation of the chain when it was taken off. That's critical so that you get the chain back on the drive train the same way it came off. Realizing this morning the magnitude of my error I went to the local Performance Bicycle and bought an SRAM 991 chain. Fortunately I had enough points on Performance Club card that I got the chain at a huge discount. Part of the SRAM magic: not only is it Shimano compatible (it mates with my chainrings and cassette) it comes with a manually assembled "Powerlink" so I don't have to drive another chain pin.
When I got on the 2100 late this afternoon I could not only hear but feel the difference. Ahhhhh. And should this ever happen again, I have a clean, clean, clean Shimano chain waiting — if I can ever figure out how it came off. Even a spare chain into the adventure, I'm ready to go for Wednesday.
Showing posts with label Performance Bike. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Performance Bike. Show all posts
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Training crisis averted
As I breezed along Old Apex Road just north of High House Road this morning, the zip ties on my cadence counter failed and the cadence counter dropped into the road. Within 10 seconds I was off my bike and moving back toward the flat, half-dollar sized device. I needed four cars to pass before I could retrieve it. Three cars went beside or over the counter. The fourth car, with me about 15 feet away, crunched it. Shades of the Garmin 301. I affectionately picked up the pieces, completed my ride and went immediately to Performance. Not only did they have a counter, it was on sale. Not having the counter would put a major crimp in my workouts, as I use it to determine speed and distance on the trainer. I also use it as a reminder for what gear I'm in on the road.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Just give me that countryside
This question came in shortly before my extended holiday hiatus. Time to tackle it.
Dear cycledork,
What's the advantage of bib shorts over regular shorts? I'm willing to believe there must be one (other than looking like Eddie Albert in Green Acres), but I'm hard pressed to figure out what it is.
-lady macsquish
Dear lady:
Isn't looking like Eddy Albert enough? I do not own any bibs but I'll probably break down one of these days and buy a pair just to see how the other half lives. The magic — even greater than looking like America's most legendary lawyer turned farmer — is that bibs are widely felt to fit better and more comfortably than standard shorts. One review was particularly effusive about the Performance Elite Y Bib Short. It's hard to beat $40 for bibs, a price that's dirt cheap for any lower-body cycling wear. To give some perspective Bicycling magazine has had an award category for "Best Bibs under $200." The Elites probably merit my respect but it's hard to pull the trigger on something I expect would feel as good to wear as the other Performance shorts I have. My bet is that the closer I could come to that penthouse view bibwise the more likely I would be to ride in comfort.
Yours in velophility,
Cycledork
P.S. Any bib owners out there? Are they the Manhattan or Hooterville of cycling togs? We need to know.
Dear cycledork,
What's the advantage of bib shorts over regular shorts? I'm willing to believe there must be one (other than looking like Eddie Albert in Green Acres), but I'm hard pressed to figure out what it is.
-lady macsquish
Dear lady:
Isn't looking like Eddy Albert enough? I do not own any bibs but I'll probably break down one of these days and buy a pair just to see how the other half lives. The magic — even greater than looking like America's most legendary lawyer turned farmer — is that bibs are widely felt to fit better and more comfortably than standard shorts. One review was particularly effusive about the Performance Elite Y Bib Short. It's hard to beat $40 for bibs, a price that's dirt cheap for any lower-body cycling wear. To give some perspective Bicycling magazine has had an award category for "Best Bibs under $200." The Elites probably merit my respect but it's hard to pull the trigger on something I expect would feel as good to wear as the other Performance shorts I have. My bet is that the closer I could come to that penthouse view bibwise the more likely I would be to ride in comfort.
Yours in velophility,
Cycledork
P.S. Any bib owners out there? Are they the Manhattan or Hooterville of cycling togs? We need to know.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
The hills are alive
A complete stranger, Sherri, has sent in this question:
Quit smoking in July after 35 years. Bought an entry level bike in Nov, Felt z100. Riding the trainer most days at 60 minutes with Reoch Zonneveld workouts. I've been riding outdoors temps are in the 50s (can't do much in lower temps).
I've been reading about this cadence versus wattage stuff. My big fear is hitting a hill. I know I just need to do it and stopping
wondering/worrying about it.
Question, is there anything specific I can do in my trainer to help when I hit that first hill?
Dear Sherri:
It's hard to express how thrilled I am by your question — and what a good one. First of all welcome to cycling. I started on a trainer for about nine months before I got my road bike in 2004. I am not familiar with Reoch Zonneveld but I'm sure I would have benefitted from 50 different workouts.
About the hill in your future and how to approach it. First of all, accept that you'll encounter one and that you will slow down as you ascend. There's no shame in that. The good news is that the more hills you encounter and more directly you face them the stronger and faster you will become.
Now how can you and your trainer prepare? The bad news is that there is no realistic trainer substitute for a hill that I am willing to pay for. That category does exist though and includes the Travel Trac Real Axiom V3 Trainer ($799.99, performancebike.com) and the TACX I-Magic Trainer ($649.99, coloradocyclist.com for starters with lots and lots of add ons available). These are systems that run through a PC and both include variable resistance. I sampled the TACX once and it has the capacity to be a real buttkicker.
For cheapskates like me, the first step is a climbing block ($15 and up). The block raises your front wheel and is supposed to simulate climbing. I keep telling myself that's what it does. The second step is to crank up the tension, or resistance, on your trainer (free). Resistance is the functional equivalent of gravity, which is what keeps us in one place longer than we want to be when we're going up hill.
Short answer to your question: Work on keeping your cadence up at higher resistance. If you're already maxing out your resistance it's time to hit the road … up hill. And grade be damned.
Yours in velophility,
Cycledork
Quit smoking in July after 35 years. Bought an entry level bike in Nov, Felt z100. Riding the trainer most days at 60 minutes with Reoch Zonneveld workouts. I've been riding outdoors temps are in the 50s (can't do much in lower temps).
I've been reading about this cadence versus wattage stuff. My big fear is hitting a hill. I know I just need to do it and stopping
wondering/worrying about it.
Question, is there anything specific I can do in my trainer to help when I hit that first hill?
Dear Sherri:
It's hard to express how thrilled I am by your question — and what a good one. First of all welcome to cycling. I started on a trainer for about nine months before I got my road bike in 2004. I am not familiar with Reoch Zonneveld but I'm sure I would have benefitted from 50 different workouts.
About the hill in your future and how to approach it. First of all, accept that you'll encounter one and that you will slow down as you ascend. There's no shame in that. The good news is that the more hills you encounter and more directly you face them the stronger and faster you will become.
Now how can you and your trainer prepare? The bad news is that there is no realistic trainer substitute for a hill that I am willing to pay for. That category does exist though and includes the Travel Trac Real Axiom V3 Trainer ($799.99, performancebike.com) and the TACX I-Magic Trainer ($649.99, coloradocyclist.com for starters with lots and lots of add ons available). These are systems that run through a PC and both include variable resistance. I sampled the TACX once and it has the capacity to be a real buttkicker.
For cheapskates like me, the first step is a climbing block ($15 and up). The block raises your front wheel and is supposed to simulate climbing. I keep telling myself that's what it does. The second step is to crank up the tension, or resistance, on your trainer (free). Resistance is the functional equivalent of gravity, which is what keeps us in one place longer than we want to be when we're going up hill.
Short answer to your question: Work on keeping your cadence up at higher resistance. If you're already maxing out your resistance it's time to hit the road … up hill. And grade be damned.
Yours in velophility,
Cycledork
Monday, October 8, 2007
Why is the rent on my vent so exorbitant?
We received this question this morning at cycledork central:
Dear Cycledork,
Why do some helmets cost $30 and others cost $200? What's the difference? Aren't they all made of basically the same stuff as a beer cooler?
lady macsquish
Dear lady:
For the same reason that air-conditioning devices range so significantly in price: mass and efficiency. The helmet on the left has 17 comparatively tiny vents and provides all the comfort, in terms of weight and air circulation, of wearing an anvil. The Bell Women’s Bella Sport, now on sale at performancebike.com, costs $22.99. The helmet on the right, a Giro Atmos, has 26 comparatively humongous vents, all of which are larger than the vents on the Bella Sport. It weighs 275 grams, or about 10.5 ounces. Imagine wearing air-conditioned feathers. Plus it offers the same safety as the Bella Sport. The Atmos, now on sale at performancebike.com, goes for $134.99.
Though this is beyond the scope of you question, all of that said, the Bella Sport is the better tool for someone who isn't going to be riding very hard for very long, say no more than 15 mph for an hour or less. For racers or others who are cranking out miles for hours at a time or who feel the need to take every advantage, the cost for comfort or fewer grams becomes worth considering.
And I'm glad you mentioned beer coolers. Beer is close to my heart and never far from my thoughts. It is my hope that bikes and beer is a topic we return to many times in our dogged pursuit of cycling truth.
Yours in velophility,
Cycledork
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Goo to the last drop
For Christmas my daughter gave me some single-serving sports-energy concoctions. The virtue of these products is that they are meant to replace minerals and nutrients lost during strenuous exercise while being extremely portable. My rule of thumb, depending on the situation, has become one tube every 15 or 20 miles with water. Whether it's crap or not I do feel perkier in a hurry.
Specifically the individual portions from Christmas were of GU Energy Gel (Just Plain flavored), Jelly Belly Sport Beans (orange) and a PowerBar triple threat energy bar (Caramel Peanut Fusion). I was skeptical but these were gifts given in love so why not?
I tried the GU first and was impressed that the flavor lived up to its description, just the tiniest hint of vanilla or banana or both.
Next were the Sport Beans. Think Tang-tasting texturized chewy chalk. Not something I would choose for myself but still interesting in a mildly provocative way.
The PowerBar had all the appeal of sweetened sawdust that's supposed to be good for you.
Bottom line on those three: the GU is a clearly labeled, no bullshit product. One tube, one serving. The package says each serving provides 100 calories, 2 percent of the daily value of sodium, 1 percent of potassium, 2 percent calcium and 100 percent each of vitamins C and E. The beans sported a similar range of nutrients but generally lower percentages. It turns out the PowerBar is loaded with nutrients and leaves the GU and Sport Beans in its sawdust in that regard. It's also in the largest package and the messiest to eat.
So I learned I could buy into, and buy, gooish, products. So over several months of trips to The Spin Cycle and Performance Bike, I picked up tubes of PowerBar Gel (tangerine), Carb Boom! Energy Gel (strawberry kiwi), Accel Gel Protein Powered Sports Energy, Clif Shot Energy Gel (strawberry) and Clif Shot Bloks (lemon lime). All have about the same nutrient levels although the PowerBar gel comes with various levels of sodium and caffeine.
Carb Boom! is nasty, as is the Clif Shot gel. They had chemically induced strawberry flavors only in the same sense that Ovaltine is supposed to be chocolate but is really spinach-flavored dog turd.
The Accel Gel left no impression. All I can say is that it was gooey and sticky.
The Clif Shot Bloks were like high-energy Jell-o shots but they did not make me want to dance on tables. I was also sort of freaked out that they have the same consistency after an hour in a cycling jersey as they do at room temperature.
The PowerBar gel is everything the energy bar wasn't. Though not nearly as nutrient rich it actually offers flavor that to some could resemble tangerine in a small package.
At $1.40 a pop, I try to use my goo strategically, saving it for occasions when I'm going to work really hard or when I'm going a long way (50 miles or more). Since it's hot today and I want to go about 65 miles I'll have two or three with me.
Specifically the individual portions from Christmas were of GU Energy Gel (Just Plain flavored), Jelly Belly Sport Beans (orange) and a PowerBar triple threat energy bar (Caramel Peanut Fusion). I was skeptical but these were gifts given in love so why not?
I tried the GU first and was impressed that the flavor lived up to its description, just the tiniest hint of vanilla or banana or both.
Next were the Sport Beans. Think Tang-tasting texturized chewy chalk. Not something I would choose for myself but still interesting in a mildly provocative way.
The PowerBar had all the appeal of sweetened sawdust that's supposed to be good for you.
Bottom line on those three: the GU is a clearly labeled, no bullshit product. One tube, one serving. The package says each serving provides 100 calories, 2 percent of the daily value of sodium, 1 percent of potassium, 2 percent calcium and 100 percent each of vitamins C and E. The beans sported a similar range of nutrients but generally lower percentages. It turns out the PowerBar is loaded with nutrients and leaves the GU and Sport Beans in its sawdust in that regard. It's also in the largest package and the messiest to eat.
So I learned I could buy into, and buy, gooish, products. So over several months of trips to The Spin Cycle and Performance Bike, I picked up tubes of PowerBar Gel (tangerine), Carb Boom! Energy Gel (strawberry kiwi), Accel Gel Protein Powered Sports Energy, Clif Shot Energy Gel (strawberry) and Clif Shot Bloks (lemon lime). All have about the same nutrient levels although the PowerBar gel comes with various levels of sodium and caffeine.
Carb Boom! is nasty, as is the Clif Shot gel. They had chemically induced strawberry flavors only in the same sense that Ovaltine is supposed to be chocolate but is really spinach-flavored dog turd.
The Accel Gel left no impression. All I can say is that it was gooey and sticky.
The Clif Shot Bloks were like high-energy Jell-o shots but they did not make me want to dance on tables. I was also sort of freaked out that they have the same consistency after an hour in a cycling jersey as they do at room temperature.
The PowerBar gel is everything the energy bar wasn't. Though not nearly as nutrient rich it actually offers flavor that to some could resemble tangerine in a small package.
At $1.40 a pop, I try to use my goo strategically, saving it for occasions when I'm going to work really hard or when I'm going a long way (50 miles or more). Since it's hot today and I want to go about 65 miles I'll have two or three with me.
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