“Evidence based cycling is not high on the bicycle salesman’s agenda. No one will tell you how much more efficient one bicycle is over another; they just say it is better.” Steel or carbon? Jeremy Groves buys a new bike in the hope of saving up to five minutes on his daily commute…
www.bmj.com
With thanks to Lutz Meißner.
Tag Archives: cycling
Cycling’s mystery man shows his face
“Over his nearly three years of obsessing over, satirizing and deftly puncturing the sport of cycling, the anonymous blogger Bike Snob has made his worldview clear. He loves to ride his bike. He wants you to ride, too. Just maybe not on those florescent wheel rims.” The identity of the Bike Snob NYC has been revealed, solving one of cycling’s last great mysteries.
online.wsj.com
If the bike fits…
“Following on from last week’s show on well-being, we look at the importance of getting a good fit between rider and machine.” Scherritt Knoesen and Jack Thurston talk about finding the right position on your bike.
thebikeshow.net
Cannondale Cross XR 7
Cannondale Cross XR 7 08, wheels Mavic C29ssmax, fork Trigon XC06A, front brake Avid Juicy Ultimate 160 mm, rear brake Avid Juicy Ultimate 140 mm, chainset SRAM Rival 180 mm, chain SRAM PC1090, pedals Crankbrothers Egg Beater SL, seat post Easton EC90, saddle Selle Italia SLR, bar Easton EC90, tyres Schwalbe Kojak 28 x 1.35, weight 8.5 kg
Whodunnit?
“Clearly, somebody in this room murdered Lord Smythe.”
youtube.com
The skills of Danny MacAskill
“Holy crap.”
BikeSnob NYC
dannymacaskill.co.uk
Carbon posts for comfort
If you are a cyclist and would like a more comfortable ride, you might want to consider switching to a seat post made from carbon fibre. At a diameter of 27.2 mm, the Easton EC90 is the most compliant seat post that I have used to date. With enough of the post exposed, it offers a much more comfortable ride. If you require a larger diameter seat post, the theoretical advantages of carbon over other materials are much less likely to be realised in practice. At a diameter of 30.9 mm or greater, I’d stick with aluminium. Use a torque wrench and carbon assembly paste.
Attitude of an Empire State Courier
“Like most cyclists, when I acquire a bicycle I will spend some time and money to ‘dial it in’. However, this bicycle was the equivalent of an unplanned pregnancy, and I was damned if I was going to spend a single red cent on my new bastard child.” Bike Snob NYC, father of the PistaDex, evaluates the Scattante Empire State Courier in terms of its associated acceptance scores.
bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com
Best cycling gloves ever?
This is a picture of my Roeckl 3104 803 MTB gloves, which I picked up towards the end of the summer. In certain ways, these really are the best cycling gloves that I have used. Feel, grip as well as comfort are outstanding. But while I am aware that light gloves such as these cannot reasonably be expected to last forever, the amount of use I got out of this pair is disappointing at best.
About that helmet
This is a picture I took of today’s newspaper. You can usually pick me out from a group of cyclists because I am the one wearing the full-face helmet. Comments I get from other cyclists are mostly positive. But somebody, somewhere is always telling me that I must be really scared to be wearing that helmet—before proceeding to tell me everything about injuries and treatments that they had to endure as a consequence of having had a serious crash.
royalgazette.com
In other news this week, current World Downhill Champion Rachel Atherton was involved in a head-on collision with a car.
Race report
Image of Norbert Meyer, who came a close second in today’s mountain bike race at Ferry Reach. For the first time ever, I was regretting the fact that my bike is set up for the road. Because watching these guys, I was really tempted to give it a go.
Seattle bike messengers
“It is a challenge, I guess, at the same time. Because when you’re busy, you’re busy. You work pretty hard. And it goes back to the whole working class thing. A job well done, you can be proud of it.” Chris Jewell talks about his work as a bicycle messenger in downtown Seattle, providing some of the commentary to photographer Mike Kane’s excellent audio slideshow on the same subject.
seattlepi.nwsource.com
Where was my bike made?
“Some bike companies have a few secrets. And one of those secrets is where your bike is made or who actually made it.” Kerry Roberts spills the beans on who makes what and where.
allanti.com
How to ride a bike forever
The following article by Grant Peterson was first published in the 1994 Bridgestone Bicycle Catalogue.
Ride when you like
Don’t ride out of guilt over last night’s meal. Don’t be a slave to your bike, or else you’ll resent it, and feel guilty whenever you think about it or look at it. Soon you’ll be avoiding it altogether. If all your rides are like a swimmer’s workout, you’ll burn out on bikes as fast as swimmers burn out on laps. Ride when you want to ride.
Go slowly
Don’t push yourself too hard, physically or mentally. Don’t ride with racers or obsessive aerobicizers. (If you’re a racer, don’t race with riders, let them be.) Learn to relax on your bike. Of course your bike can be a tremendous tool to build cardiovascular fitness, but why let that get in the way? Unless you race, you can rely on something else, like running, to get fit and lose weight. Running is more efficient for this anyway.
Go short
A ten-minute ride is always worth it, even though it won’t elevate your heart rate to your ‘target training level’ and keep it there for twelve minutes. (Or is it supposed to be eleven? Or fourteen?)
Don’t keep track
If you never use an on-board computer or a heart rate monitor, you can ride with us any time. Avoid ‘logs’. Forget the graphs and the home computer programs. Keep your bicycle free of extraneous wires and LEDs. You don’t need them.
Own more than one bike
This is not a commercial message! Runners have learned that nothing improves a run as much as a new pair of shoes, or shorts, or socks, or something. Bikes, unfortunately, cost a lot more, but the effect is the same. Make your bicycles so different that your experience on one is unlike the other—a mountain bike and a road bike, a multispeed and an single speed, or a clunker, or a recumbent. For some people, even different handlebars are enough of a change, It’s worth a try.
Learn how to fix your bike
Learn to fix a flat. Learn how to install a wheel. Learn how to adjust derailleurs. It’s all easy, and you’ll never feel at ease on a bike if you’re at its mercy. Being able to fix your bike will give you enormous confidence and satisfaction, not to mention self-sufficiency.
Don’t chase technology
You will never catch it, and if you pursue it year after year it will break your wallet in half. Some wonderful things have happened to bicycles in the last fifteen years, but so have a lot of dumb things. You don’t need a fancy machine with the latest equipment to enjoy something that is so joyous and simple. A simple, reliable bike will do.
www.sheldonbrown.com
© Bridgestone Cycle USA
15021 Wicks Boulevard
San Leandro
California 94577
The spectral memorials that haunt our roads
“It would be unfortunate if the proliferation of ghost bikes frightened off nervous waverers, because there is quite a lot of evidence that the more cyclists there are, the safer cycling becomes. But if white bikes grab the attention of motorists, give them pause and remind them to take care, they will mark the past and help safeguard the future.” Geraldine Bedell reports on the phenomenon of the white bike reaching the UK.
www.guardian.co.uk
Street smarts
“The only things that will keep you alive in traffic are your skills, your awareness of your environment, and always having a tremendous respect for the danger involved.” Richard Katz outlines his approach to riding in traffic.
www.urbanvelo.org
Moment designs
“Even though they are serious competitors I try to make this feel like you are watching a local buddies video.”
Andrew Tonkery
vimeo.com
Bike commuting: a better way to travel
“Nothing has enhanced my life as much as the decision to start bike commuting. I’ve stopped smoking, I don’t drink any more, and I’m always outdoors. I’m saving money, I feel all self-righteous about not polluting, and I can eat plenty without worrying about getting fat. And I arrive at just about any city destination faster than if I’d driven.” Paul Dorn enjoys his ride.
www.runmuki.com
Cycling bookmarks
Tools & Reference Bicycle Tutor, Fiets Beraad, Sheldon Brown, Ritzelrechner,
Blogs & Magazines Amsterdamize, Bicycle Design, Bicycle Fixation, Bicycle Retailer, Bike198, Bike Hugger, Bike Radar, Bike Rumor, The Bike Show, Bike Snob NYC, Bike Sport News, Bikeboard, Bikes And The City, Copenhagen Cycle Chic, Copenhagenize, Cozy Beehive, Critical Mass London, Cycling News, Cycling WMD, Cyclocross Magazine, Dirt Rag, EcoVelo, Fat Cyclist, The Folding Society, Internet Bike Community, K-Wall, Light Bikes, MountainBike, Mountainbike Forum, Pedaliéro, Roadbike, Road.cc, Sammlung Embacher, Singletrack, SlowTwitch, Urban Velo, VeloNews, Weight Weenies,
Dealers & Distributors Action Sports, Bike Components, Bike Discount, Bike24, BikeDock, Chain Reaction, Competitive Cyclist, Dr Cannondale, Evans, Merlin, Paul Lange, Profirad, Singlespeedshop, Sid’s Bikes NYC, Toms Bike Corner, TNC-Hamburg, UK Bikes Store, Universal Cycles, Whizz-Wheels, Wiggle,
Manufacturers Aarios, Airnimal, American Classic, Assos, AX-Lightness, BBB, Bernds, Bike Friday, Bikebag, Biomega, Bionicon, Bionx, BMC, Boardman, Bontrager, Busch & Müller, Brooks, Brothers, Camelbak, Campagnolo, Cane Creek, Cannondale, Canyon, Carbon Sports, Carbon Ti, Carbonice, Casco, Cervélo, Challenge, Charge, Chrome, Cinelli, Civia, Control Tech, Colnago, Commencal, Continental, Corratec, Corsair, Crank Brothers, Chris King, Cube, Dahon, Dakine, Deda Elementi, Deuter, DiNotte, DT Swiss, Easton, Electra, Elite, Ellsworth, Endorfin, Endura, Ergon, Evoc, Exposure, Felt, Fixie Inc, Fi′zi:k, Focus, Formula, Fox, Fuji, Orange, FRM, FSA, Fulcrum, Fuji, Gary Fisher, Gear Up, Gebhardt, Genesis, Ghost, Giant, Giro, GoBike, Gore, Grammo, GT, Hayes, Hebie, HED, Hinde, The Hive, Hope, Independent Fabrication, Industry Nine, Intense, Kansi, Kinesis, KMC, Knog Koga-Miyata, Kona, Kore, Kraftstoff, KTM, Lapierre, Larry vs Harry, Lezyne, Litespeed, Look, Lumicycle, Magura, Marin, Mavic, Marzocchi, Masi, Maxxis, Merida, Miche, Michelin, Middleburn, Minoura, Moots, Moulton, Mountain Cycle, Nicolai, Niner, ODI, Orange, Orbea, Ortlieb, Pac Designs, Pace, Pacific, Park Tool, Parlee, Pearl, Phil Wood, Pletscher, Princeton Tec, Principia, Procraft, Profile Design, Profile Racing, Race Face, Rapha, Redline, Ritchey, Rocky Mountain, Rohloff, Rotor, Rotwild, Royal Purple, Salsa, Santos, Satori, Schindelhauer, Schlupf, Schmolke, Schwalbe, Scott, SDG, Selle Italia, Seven, Shimano, SIDI, Simpel, Simplon, SKS, Six Six One, Smart, Soma, SON, Specialized, Spécialités TA, Speed One, Speedway, SR Suntour, SRAM, Steppenwolf, Stevens, Storck, Strida, Stronglight, Sturmey Archer, Sugino, Sunn, Supreme, Surly, Syncros, Syntace, Tacx, Thompson, Thorn, Time, Topeak, Trek, Tr!ckstuff, Trigon, Troy Lee, Truvativ, Tune, Tyrell, USE, Van Dessel, Velocity, Velotraum, Velowerk, Veltec, Vicious Cycles, Viner, Vittoria, Vredestein, White Industries, Whyte, WTB, Winwood, Workcycles, Xlab, Yamaguchi, Yeti, Zinn, Zipp, Zonenschein,
Sheldon Brown
“If Sheldon Brown had been only an excellent bicycle mechanic, the esteem in which he was held, while great, could not have extended much beyond his native Massachusetts.” Instead, Sheldon Brown used the Internet to become the most widely read bicycle mechanic in the world. He died on February 3, 2008.
www.timesonline.co.uk