Hump days, I tell ya.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Super-Euro-Geek Status
I first saw one of these sweet inflators at Natz a couple of years back. Then I saw Stu wielding one in the Cyclocrossworld.com pits all season. The straw that broke the camel's back was EVERYONE had one in the team boxes at Worlds. In my never ending quest to be the world's biggest cyclocross poser, I knew I had to have one. Rumors ran rampant that they were no longer made. Yes, the Wurth-produced model is no longer available, but Craftsman to the rescue! Behold, my new favorite toy...
Set the pressure you want (up to 40 psi), hold the trigger and it shuts off automatically when it hits the pressure. The inflator itself will inflate to 200 psi, but the auto shut-off does not work over 40 psi. But for cross, who cares? You shouldn't be running your cotton casing tubs over 30 psi anyway. You aren't, are you?
Set the pressure you want (up to 40 psi), hold the trigger and it shuts off automatically when it hits the pressure. The inflator itself will inflate to 200 psi, but the auto shut-off does not work over 40 psi. But for cross, who cares? You shouldn't be running your cotton casing tubs over 30 psi anyway. You aren't, are you?
The inflator comes stock with a hose for Schraeder valves and an adapter for Presta. But the only way to fly is to use a Silca head. Yes, I sacrificed the hose from my 19 year old Silca pump.
I took the old barb that screws into the Silca pressure guage, turned it down to fit into the inflator and added a few ribs to give it some bite. I am sure there other creative ways to make it work if you don't have a lathe handy. But I do. So I used it.
Want one of your own?
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00911586000P
You also need to buy the battery pack and charger.
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00911374000P
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00925926000P
Ridiculous waste of money? You bet! But now the good doctor can pump up her tires exactly the same way every time. Be the first on your block to have one...
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Overheard...
"Do you think anyone will notice if a couple of those PRO-issue-only 46 tooth DA rings go missing?"
Which way?
The bikes of Sven. Remarkably boring in the best way possible. Perfect, reliable race machines. Nothing at all odd. Except maybe one thing. Yes, one thing in particular caught my eye. Can you pick it out? Here's a hint. The second photo.
Worlds Mascot
Ummm.....sure.....
It's a rock. Lake Bandie is full of stones and no sand. The rock guy is the mascot. Come on, get it?
At the expense of my good friend who will remain nameless...
Saturday night. Dinner in Venice.
My good pal orders a beer. A Hoogarden. Good stuff, right?
Beer comes in a MONSTER glass. Doublegood stuff, right?
Sunday. Spectating during the men's race.
My good pal, with his chest puffed out, recounts his AWESOME HUGE beer to our new Belgian buddies.
Belgian guy says "Hoogarden? That's girl's beer."
Ouch.
My good pal orders a beer. A Hoogarden. Good stuff, right?
Beer comes in a MONSTER glass. Doublegood stuff, right?
Sunday. Spectating during the men's race.
My good pal, with his chest puffed out, recounts his AWESOME HUGE beer to our new Belgian buddies.
Belgian guy says "Hoogarden? That's girl's beer."
Ouch.
Pearls of wisdom...
During the men's race, we were sandwiched in with some very cool Belgian folks. The Erwin Fans Club surrounded us, which was awesome. They asked us all about veldrijden in the US, told us about how Erwin loves to travel and race in the states and told us how they want to come visit. Ironic, isn't it?
One of our cheering-mates was Tom De Kort. He races for the AVB-USSPA Cycling Team, which is the feeder team for Fidea. Super nice guy. He was happy to offer some advice, and I think taking it from him was a no-brainer.
"I focus 110% on my handling techniques. That is my strong point. If I can make 1 second up in 5 corners per lap of a 10 lap race, that's 50 seconds."
Talking with him further brought out that if you are faster in the corners, you must lead through them. It will either a) force your opponent to burn energy to close the gap or b) force your opponent to make a mistake. The feeling I got from him was not to rest by following into the corners because your opponent can then dictate a comfortable pace for himself. Your advantage has effectively been neutralized.
Oh, and he loved the New Belgium flag. So much so that I gave him my sweatshirt.
One of our cheering-mates was Tom De Kort. He races for the AVB-USSPA Cycling Team, which is the feeder team for Fidea. Super nice guy. He was happy to offer some advice, and I think taking it from him was a no-brainer.
"I focus 110% on my handling techniques. That is my strong point. If I can make 1 second up in 5 corners per lap of a 10 lap race, that's 50 seconds."
Talking with him further brought out that if you are faster in the corners, you must lead through them. It will either a) force your opponent to burn energy to close the gap or b) force your opponent to make a mistake. The feeling I got from him was not to rest by following into the corners because your opponent can then dictate a comfortable pace for himself. Your advantage has effectively been neutralized.
Oh, and he loved the New Belgium flag. So much so that I gave him my sweatshirt.
It runs deep...
Met a nice couple at dinner one night...
Italian Lady: Are you here in Bologna for vacation?
Me: Si, we viewed Campionati del Mondo di Ciclocross en Treviso. Then we came here.
Italian Man: Ahhh, ciclismo.
M: Si. Are you a fan?
IM: Some....ahhhh...how you say....I loved Pantani.
M: Me too. He was one of my favorites.
IL: It was a very sad day.
IM: Very hard, I cried.
M: Me too.
Italian Lady: Are you here in Bologna for vacation?
Me: Si, we viewed Campionati del Mondo di Ciclocross en Treviso. Then we came here.
Italian Man: Ahhh, ciclismo.
M: Si. Are you a fan?
IM: Some....ahhhh...how you say....I loved Pantani.
M: Me too. He was one of my favorites.
IL: It was a very sad day.
IM: Very hard, I cried.
M: Me too.
Overheard...
"Vai, Vai, Vai!"
"Hop, Hop, Hop!"
"Venga, Venga, Venga!"
"Allez, Allez, Allez!"
"Hup, Hup, Hup!"
"GO JONATHAN!!!"
The misses has some lungs I tell ya. Do you hear that ringing?
"Hop, Hop, Hop!"
"Venga, Venga, Venga!"
"Allez, Allez, Allez!"
"Hup, Hup, Hup!"
"GO JONATHAN!!!"
The misses has some lungs I tell ya. Do you hear that ringing?
Monday, February 4, 2008
How to look like a jackass in front of Rabo mechanics...
The Rabobank mechanics for Lars Boom stayed at our hotel. His camper was there and everything. Well, everything except Lars. At breakfast Sunday morning, there was a little small talk.
I asked "so will it be Sven Nys or Lars Boom?"
Very puzzled look from Mr. Rabo. "Huh?"
"To win today, Sven Nys or Lars Boom?"
"I don't understand what svennees is"
"Sven or Lars?"
"Oh! You meant to say 'Nys'"
Lesson learned. It's Nys as in nīs, not nēs. Get it right, jackass.
I asked "so will it be Sven Nys or Lars Boom?"
Very puzzled look from Mr. Rabo. "Huh?"
"To win today, Sven Nys or Lars Boom?"
"I don't understand what svennees is"
"Sven or Lars?"
"Oh! You meant to say 'Nys'"
Lesson learned. It's Nys as in nīs, not nēs. Get it right, jackass.
The Belgians love the Belgians. The Italians love everyone. Except maybe...
Belgian goes by...everyone cheers
JP goes by...everyone cheers
Italian goes by...most everyone cheers, but the Italians make up for those who aren't by cheering really freakin' loud and going bonkers
Last placed rider from Norway goes by...I cheer with the Italians and the Belgians look at me funny
Next lap Parbo goes by...I cheer and even the Italians look at me funny
One guy looks at me and points at Parbo.
"Hairy legs."
No respect.
JP goes by...everyone cheers
Italian goes by...most everyone cheers, but the Italians make up for those who aren't by cheering really freakin' loud and going bonkers
Last placed rider from Norway goes by...I cheer with the Italians and the Belgians look at me funny
Next lap Parbo goes by...I cheer and even the Italians look at me funny
One guy looks at me and points at Parbo.
"Hairy legs."
No respect.
Mandatory...
If you like cyclo-cross, you owe it to yourself to go to Worlds at least once in your life.
If you love cyclo-cross, you must go to Worlds as soon as possible.
If you love cyclo-cross, you must go to Worlds as soon as possible.
Water? Nah...
Trattoria Owner: Posso offrirle qualcosa?
Me: Il Vino rosso della casa, per favore.
TO: Aqua?
M: No, grazie.
TO: [in English] Water is for washing in the morning anyway.
Me: Il Vino rosso della casa, per favore.
TO: Aqua?
M: No, grazie.
TO: [in English] Water is for washing in the morning anyway.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
TK rules
So what's on my mind 8 days prior to our departure for Treviso? My pal TK sent me this and it sums it up just about perfectly.
GO USA!!!
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Simple setup tricks
After assembling hundreds of bikes over the years, I have refined my approach to how a bike should be cabled. I have two goals when running cables on a bike.
1. Create the cleaniest, most efficient route with very easy loops rather than harsh bends.
2. Keep the housing off the paint.
First, cut the front sections of housing so that there is one arc around the head tube. A lot of riders will try to have the rear derailleur housing on the right side of the head tube. All this does is force the housing onto the head tube and the paint. And it creates another bend in the housing. A SRAM setup will look the same as the Campy setup below. A Shimano setup will have even easier bends coming from the STI levers.
The rear brake enters the left slot, the rear derailleur enters the middle slot and the front derailleur enters the right slot. Then, cross the derailleur cables. This allows the rear derailleur cable to exit from the right slot. On bikes with down tube routing (this includes road bikes of course), the derailleur cables will cross under the down tube. On some frames, the layout of the braze-ons will not allow this. In that case, you will have to run your cables the more common way.
Create your housing loops at the seat cluster such that the housing rest on the seatpost rather than the paint on the frame. And better yet, you may put a wrap of tape on your post for the correct saddle height and then have the housing rest against the tape. Nothing gets rubbed by the housing except the tape. Also remember to run the housing in such a way that you can get to your seat post binder bolt.
And that's it! You are left with very tidy housing runs and none of the housings are touching your frame.
1. Create the cleaniest, most efficient route with very easy loops rather than harsh bends.
2. Keep the housing off the paint.
First, cut the front sections of housing so that there is one arc around the head tube. A lot of riders will try to have the rear derailleur housing on the right side of the head tube. All this does is force the housing onto the head tube and the paint. And it creates another bend in the housing. A SRAM setup will look the same as the Campy setup below. A Shimano setup will have even easier bends coming from the STI levers.
The rear brake enters the left slot, the rear derailleur enters the middle slot and the front derailleur enters the right slot. Then, cross the derailleur cables. This allows the rear derailleur cable to exit from the right slot. On bikes with down tube routing (this includes road bikes of course), the derailleur cables will cross under the down tube. On some frames, the layout of the braze-ons will not allow this. In that case, you will have to run your cables the more common way.
Create your housing loops at the seat cluster such that the housing rest on the seatpost rather than the paint on the frame. And better yet, you may put a wrap of tape on your post for the correct saddle height and then have the housing rest against the tape. Nothing gets rubbed by the housing except the tape. Also remember to run the housing in such a way that you can get to your seat post binder bolt.
And that's it! You are left with very tidy housing runs and none of the housings are touching your frame.Thursday, January 10, 2008
Tim's new kit...
Courtesy of singlestoph over on the WW board. This was the Swiss cat 1 race where he finished 8th. Interesting race venue. Imagine racing on a runway in an airfield? Reminds me of Jalabert's win on the runway in Mende at the 95 Tour .
The slowest month of the year...
Look. I don't complain much. But the boredom is driving me to do this.....
Father time slammed on the brakes. Doesn't January feel like slow motion?
Time began hitting warp speed in August (August!) this season. The anticipation of the weekend cross races made the weeks fly by. The day job was tolerable, for there were great times that lie ahead on Saturday and Sunday. Trips were planned. Friends peppered each other with texts and emails. Things were good.
Cross season ended, but the Christmas season began. Parties, road trips, and plenty of other fun to keep one's mind occupied.
Then, my least favorite day of the year. January 1. The cross season is over. The Christmas season is over. The work season has arrived. It warps space-time worse than a super-massive black hole. And sucks the fun out of the room in a similar fashion.
This blast of nice weather has certainly helped. But can someone please hit the fast forward button? We leave for Treviso on the 24th. It feels like months from now. Thank God our vacation will carve out a week's worth of the slowest month of the year. Just get me through to February.
On a happier note, JP is starting to kill it over in the Motherland. A fine 5th place yesterday ahead of some top runners. And it looks like Tim and Jeremy are finding their legs too. I have to say I am not a big fan of Tim's new National Champion kit. Please just give me the traditional stars and bars in the appropriate colors. I don't think trying to incorporate the national colors into the existing team kit ever looks good. But what do I know. Here's what I know. The last good National Champ kit I can remember was Freddy's Domo kit. Proper.
I'm off to take some freakin' happy pills.
Father time slammed on the brakes. Doesn't January feel like slow motion?
Time began hitting warp speed in August (August!) this season. The anticipation of the weekend cross races made the weeks fly by. The day job was tolerable, for there were great times that lie ahead on Saturday and Sunday. Trips were planned. Friends peppered each other with texts and emails. Things were good.
Cross season ended, but the Christmas season began. Parties, road trips, and plenty of other fun to keep one's mind occupied.
Then, my least favorite day of the year. January 1. The cross season is over. The Christmas season is over. The work season has arrived. It warps space-time worse than a super-massive black hole. And sucks the fun out of the room in a similar fashion.
This blast of nice weather has certainly helped. But can someone please hit the fast forward button? We leave for Treviso on the 24th. It feels like months from now. Thank God our vacation will carve out a week's worth of the slowest month of the year. Just get me through to February.
On a happier note, JP is starting to kill it over in the Motherland. A fine 5th place yesterday ahead of some top runners. And it looks like Tim and Jeremy are finding their legs too. I have to say I am not a big fan of Tim's new National Champion kit. Please just give me the traditional stars and bars in the appropriate colors. I don't think trying to incorporate the national colors into the existing team kit ever looks good. But what do I know. Here's what I know. The last good National Champ kit I can remember was Freddy's Domo kit. Proper.
I'm off to take some freakin' happy pills.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
What's worse than golf?
Being put into a foursome who you don't know and having to pretend like you care. Yup, I'm being pissy about it. I hate golf. It bores the living hell out of me. Throw in a little forced small talk with other sales people I don't know and I am in my own freakin' purgatory.
Maybe I need one of these. The golf sucks survival kit.
Maybe I need one of these. The golf sucks survival kit.
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