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Post by strawman on May 26, 2004 23:48:26 GMT -5
 this is a picture of some friends and me after a cycle ride up the col de ramaz in France...this was the first big hill stage in the tour last year and we rode it about a week after the tour went through. The guy in the middle in the yellow Telecom Jersey is Grant Swart (Stephen Swarts brother) and thats me on the left in the Avanti shirt.... The bikes are hired from a local shop |
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Post by strawman on May 26, 2004 23:53:34 GMT -5
and a photo of me at the top of the col, with the tour grafitti on the pavement....just before Grant threw up his banana...  |
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Post by strawman on May 27, 2004 19:50:04 GMT -5
seemed strange not wearing a helmet...they are compulsory in NZ, but not in France....still when I was flying down those twisting descents that I had no idea on how the corners went, and on an unfamiliar bike, I felt a little vulnerable...and there would only be a 2 foot wall to stop your fall for maybe hundreds of metres....still that didnt stop us from being a little reckless!!!
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Post by Kensterberg on May 27, 2004 20:01:08 GMT -5
Some very cool picks there, straw. I can't imagine going down those hills without a helmet, though. I feel down right naked w/o one ... even borrowed one for some of my longer test rides when I was shopping!
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achn2b
Struggling Artist
Posts: 234
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Post by achn2b on May 27, 2004 20:32:37 GMT -5
straw, go with your heart. listen to the alluring call of the italians! ;D
btw, you look like you're ready to kick some ass in that first pic.
just got back from my two day trip to pick up my frame, spent the night at my brother's place outside boston. it took a bit longer to build up than i thought it would, as we ran into a couple little snags, plus the owner just loves to talk, so i'm all ready to settle up the tab, and he's rambling on and on with another customer. but then again, he spent a ton of time rambling on and on with me too, so i didn't rush him.
he needed to use a dremel tool to shave down the front dropouts a bit, as the chrome plating must have been laid on a bit too thick, and the axle wouldn't slide between them. there was plenty of room for them in the dropout, they just wouldn't slip through the opening slot.
the second problem was my fault. i ordered a 13-29 cassette online, but went along with the prevailing opinion of my cycling forum board that you could get away with the regular cage derailleur, even though you should use a mid-length cage. the mechanic who was building it sized the chain for the mid-length cage first to see if it would work, and unfortunately, the rear upper pully rubs the cassette in the lowest gear. tried adjusting the b-screw tension, but it wasn't enough. and with the longer chain, i can't use the smallest cogs with the small chainring cause there's too much slack. i suppose i could have asked him to take out the extra link and see if it would work, but he was reluctant, and i agreed, cause if he did, and i still had rubbing, then i'd need a new chain as well as the mid-cage drailleur.
the dealer didn't have any mid-cages in stock, but i was able to make it to a boston area shop that has a huge inventory, and they luckily had a 2003 chorus rear derailleur(polished aluminum body, not carbon fiber), medium cage, that i paid an outrageous amount for. so either tonight or tomorrow i'll be slapping that on the bike, and now have an extra derailleur for some future bike. can never have enough spare parts.
but i got to ride it for about 20 or 30 minutes, and it was just awesome. when i stood up, it just went, it was stiff, but had a supple ride over rough stuff, didn't clatter and pound like my old bike, which was pretty smooth riding in itself. it just rode so sweet, and hopefully, i'll have time tomorow to go for a real ride on it. fits me perfectly, my hands go right to the brake hoods. on my old bike, i always felt like the tops of the bars were too close to me, so i felt like i was pushing back to get away from them, and the hoods were too far, so it took some time to get comfortable on them, but this is just spot-on perfect.
even with the outrageously heavy stuff i put on it(old selle italia turbo saddle, original time pedals, old TTT bar and stem, steel fork), it's about 20.25 pounds. might be about 20 1/2 with the heavier derailleur, computer, and bottle cages when i get them on, but i plan on upgrading to the new time pedals, and going with veloflex tires, so there's half a pound right there. if i really wanted to slap a carbon fiber fork on this, and got rid of my old heavy stuff, this could easily get down to 18-18 1/2 pounds. but i don't want to do that.
so ken, how much did you get off the list price of your bike? i haven't totalled up the whole cost yet, but i think i'm about in the ballpark you paid, if not slightly more. plus, i supplied a lot of stuff that i already had, so didn't need to purchase. frame, tires, tubes, wheelset, and a few miscellaneous things was in the $2900 range.
pictures soon, once i get them developed and scanned. no digital camera for me.
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Post by Kensterberg on May 27, 2004 21:17:41 GMT -5
Achn -- Let me be the first to say, CONGRATULATIONS! I know you've been waiting for this for a long time. As for the price comparison ... I was at $3,150 for the bike itself ... not incl. pedals (another $150) ... but I've got the carbon fiber fork, new saddle, carbon seat post and stem, and full Campy Chorus group. I also think I'm a good pound and a half less, comparably equipped (though I have yet to fully determine the point of watching grams on the bike when I need to lose POUNDS off my own frame, but I know I could sure tell the difference between a 17 pound bike a 20+ pounder). But yeah, we're pretty comparable pricewise, I think. That said, I don't think either of us would trade!  OK, "speak of the devil" ... I just got back from a nice forty minute ride, click my right foot out of my pedal, begin to coast up the driveway ... and you know what's coming next, right? I overestimated my momentum, got halfway up the drive, and begin to tilt ... TO THE LEFT! Next thing ya know, I'm lying on the sidewalk trying to get my left foot out of my shoe! Never should have had that conversation about not being able to get one's feet out of the clips, I guess. Fortunately, bike and I are both now doing fine.  |
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achn2b
Struggling Artist
Posts: 234
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Post by achn2b on May 27, 2004 22:31:00 GMT -5
it's hard as hell to get unclipped once you've fallen over, isn't it? although i know when i'm out on my mountain bike, and hit something that stops me dead, or just get off balance and go down, i'll be fighting like hell to get unclipped and failing, and then as soon as i hit the ground, my foot pops free of the pedal. actually ken, my final tally will probably be a lot higher than yours. my chorus group cost me about $630, and i put down a $200 deposit, so add that to the $2900whatever. so it's probably close to $3800 all together. but it's got chrome!!!!! and a real headbadge. ;D  just got the new derailleur on, and shifting seems to be ok, although my small chainring/big cog seems to drone a bit loud. the pulley wheel isn't hitting the cassette, and if i adjust it i can make it buzz louder, but no matter how far i back it out, it's still a bit droney. although i think that's somewhat typical, isn't it, for that position to bee a bit noisier? |
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Post by Kensterberg on May 27, 2004 22:55:29 GMT -5
Achn -- that still isn't that much difference in price. I don't think either of us can really complain, ya know? You've got that slightly retro "hand crafted" cool vibe, and I've got the know how (and hand crafting!) of the Bianchi racing group! Seems like a fair trade to me! ;D And from what I know (which isn't nearly as much as you guys, though I'm trying my best to catch up) that derailler combo almost always makes some noise ... though to be fair, with my Chorus group I can generally adjust the setting on the front cog such that I don't have that buzzing ... you may need to mess with your settings some more. Sounds like you've got a really sweet ride, though!
Yeah, my Look pedals do not like letting go of the shoes. I've never gotten "stuck" before, but I wound up taking off my shoe in order to get off the bike! At least I didn't have people around me laughing and pointing ... not sure if anyone at all saw it, thank god!
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Post by strawman on May 27, 2004 23:19:26 GMT -5
btw, you look like you're ready to kick some ass in that first pic.
actually..just kicked a bit of ass...that was just after our ride up the mountain...managed to make Swarty throw up his banana...yeah we get a little competitive...always have...
straw, go with your heart. listen to the alluring call of the italians!
unfortunately I'll probably go with my head and set up a TCR 0 carbon fibre bike the same as my other bike...All is not lost though...if I can get the wreck back, I can use alot of the groupset to build up a project bike...and that most definately will be Italian...quite possibly steel too achn!!
Well Achn...your bike sounds great and I really do want to see a pic up here...I'm not sure what your buzz is...honestly my bikes run basically silent..especially after a chain clean and oil which I do on the race bikes every week, and on the old neglected and overworked Cannondale about fortnightly...
OK, "speak of the devil"
see I told you how easy it is to do!!! I can just see you trying not to scratch the paint, levers and derailleurs as you toppled...nothing worse than a scratch on a new bike!!
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achn2b
Struggling Artist
Posts: 234
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Post by achn2b on May 28, 2004 7:02:22 GMT -5
the buzz is from the upper jockey wheel's proximity to the cassette when i'm in the big cog/small chainring combo. the chain comes off the cassette and over the wheel, and it's so close to the cassette that it makes a bit of a hum or buzz. if it's too close, then the pulley wheel ends up hitting the cassette and chattering and jumping around.
but mine isn't hitting, and as i said, i can adjust it closer so the hum or buzz gets worse, but no matter how far i back it off, there's still a little hum in that combo. and i don't wanty to back the screw out so far it falls out on the road someplace. i know my other bike has a little of it too, just not this much. but that could just be the campy parts; i know the freehub buzz is much louder than shimano. and maybe it just needs a good lubing, and some miles under its belt.
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Post by RocDoc on May 28, 2004 13:54:26 GMT -5
Re Helmets...
Hated 'em when riding my Kawasaki 500 at 100+mph speeds and I've yet to wear one in my 4 decades of bicycling.
Even when accompanying some of my more competitive cycling buds, THEY never wore them...so I sure as fuck wasn't gonna drape fiber/plastic over my follicles and cranium, uh-UH!
Now that we've got our son's impending birth coming(yay!), I'm rethinking the 'What sort of example are you setting?' for a kid who, IF the genes hold true here, will be a relatively speed-obsessed maniac like me...
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Post by strawman on May 28, 2004 14:46:12 GMT -5
...achn..maybe thats why I have never heard the buzz...you have a 29 tooth cog on whereas I normally ride a 12 to 21 cluster...(very long and hilly races (200 odd km), I might put on a 25 granny gear to get me over the worst of it when I'm shagged...)
any how that 29 tooth gear is a much bigger diameter and thus would be closer to that top jockey wheel than anything I normally ride...
when I have the disc on and it's a little bit rolling I may have the 11 to 23...wind it out on the flat and slightly downhill and I can leave it in the 53 front chainring on the up hill bits....
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Post by strawman on May 28, 2004 14:53:51 GMT -5
and on the subject of helmets
mine took one hell of a hit when that car hit me...it got smashed into the windscreen and deformed a bit...I'm glad that wasn't my head (those red Rudy Project sunglasses in the pics above did not fare as well)....nah I love my helmets, almost as much as I love my brain....oh and Ken will be interested to hear I'm replacing the twisted Met with a Giro pneumo..carbon coloured...
yep came out of that fracas with the windscreen with just a cut long my left eyebrow (needing a bit of hospital attention) and a black eye thanks to that helmet...now just to get this shoulder right...
always wear that helmet!!
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achn2b
Struggling Artist
Posts: 234
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Post by achn2b on May 28, 2004 16:17:06 GMT -5
wouldn't a properly adjusted rear derailleur have the top pulley wheel the same distance away from the cassette, no matter the size of the largest cog? cause that's what makes your shifting quick and precise, is that pulley wheel tracking along the cassette closely.
which is the reason you need a longer cage derailleur for those larger cogs, to keep enough tension on the chain to keep that wheel from hitting the cassette.
i'm thinking that i may need to fine tune the derailleur travel adjustment screw, or perhaps i could take another link out of the chain. was at my local shop today, and the owner thought that might be it, but said i should ride it a bit first, and then bring it in. it's raining today(no way is this bike seeing rain), but tomorrow's supposed to be nice, so maybe i'll take it by and see what he has to say.
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Post by strawman on May 28, 2004 16:35:09 GMT -5
yeah..you would be right there achn......again take the advice of the bike shop mechanic..I'm lucky having a deal where I get all my mechanic work for free...so I rarely touch the bike other than swapping clusters ane wheels!!
and news of the day...NZ has 2 new world cycling champs..at Melbourne Sarah Ulmer after yesterday setting a world record, today won the 3000 m womens individual pursuit and Greg Henderson won the mens scratch race...not too bad for a wee country of 4 million!!
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just got the new derailleur on, and shifting seems to be ok, although my small chainring/big cog seems to drone a bit loud. the pulley wheel isn't hitting the cassette, and if i adjust it i can make it buzz louder, but no matter how far i back it out, it's still a bit droney. although i think that's somewhat typical, isn't it, for that position to bee a bit noisier? 