Bicycling On-the-Road

PhilNYC · « **on:** 5 Apr 2010, 08:08 pm »

Since there was a lot of activity in the "Bicycling Off-Road" thread, thought I'd put up an on-the-road version....

Road-bikers...what was your last ride? Mine was a solo ride from Closter, NJ to Bear Mountain and back...56.58miles, 3h16m ride time, 17.2mph avg, 1890ft total ascent...

bunnyma357 · « **Reply #1 on:** 5 Apr 2010, 08:13 pm »

Just started back commuting to the office - 4 days last week, and hopefully the same this week. Probably 8 miles each way.

Jim C

jackman · « **Reply #2 on:** 5 Apr 2010, 09:52 pm »

I'll take some pictures next week. Also, let's get some bike pix going! Yesterday's ride was the toughest I have ever been on. The Sunday group is much more experienced and way faster than I'm used to riding. There was also a brutal 20+mph headwind (on the way out) to contend with. Thankfully we rode in a paceline for most of the trip. A group of 9 riders traveled through the country roads just west of my house. Although I had 100 miles total in the bank earlier this week (Wed-Sat), my legs are still sore from Sunday's ride.

Totals: 44.5miles, 2h29m total time, 17.87mph avg.

Phil, your ride time was very impressive considering it was a hilly, solo ride. If I did not have the advantage of a large group (for drafting and encouragement/inspiration) it would have taken me much longer. I spent most of the ride glued to someone else's wheel.

I bought new tires (Conti GP4000's) and hope to install them tonight. They are cool looking and I hope they are flat resistant. My current tires are not bad at all (Bonti Race XXXLite AC's) but I want to try something different. My Bonti's are soft over bumps (they are 25mm's) and the new Conti's are 23mm's. I'm hoping they make the ride a bit less grueling.

Cheers,

J

BikeWNC · « **Reply #3 on:** 6 Apr 2010, 12:05 am »

On Friday I joined a friend for a ride from town up to the top of one of our local mountains. It's basically a 4000' climb in 19 miles, 2450' in the last 8.5 miles. It was unusually warm at 84º though cooler near the summit. There was a bit of haze in the air from a forest fire.

On the long climb.

The last of the snow on the roadside as we near the top.

In the parking lot at the top.

38 miles roundtrip, 3 hours ride time, 4000' elevation gain.

PhishPhan · « **Reply #4 on:** 6 Apr 2010, 12:58 am »

47 miles in about 2 hours and 20 minutes.

Here I am after a century last summer.

PhilNYC · « **Reply #5 on:** 6 Apr 2010, 02:28 am »

Quote from: jackman on 5 Apr 2010, 09:52 pm

I'll take some pictures next week. Also, let's get some bike pix going! Yesterday's ride was the toughest I have ever been on. The Sunday group is much more experienced and way faster than I'm used to riding. There was also a brutal 20+mph headwind (on the way out) to contend with. Thankfully we rode in a paceline for most of the trip. A group of 9 riders traveled through the country roads just west of my house. Although I had 100 miles total in the bank earlier this week (Wed-Sat), my legs are still sore from Sunday's ride.

Totals: 44.5miles, 2h29m total time, 17.87mph avg.

Phil, your ride time was very impressive considering it was a hilly, solo ride. If I did not have the advantage of a large group (for drafting and encouragement/inspiration) it would have taken me much longer. I spent most of the ride glued to someone else's wheel.

I bought new tires (Conti GP4000's) and hope to install them tonight. They are cool looking and I hope they are flat resistant. My current tires are not bad at all (Bonti Race XXXLite AC's) but I want to try something different. My Bonti's are soft over bumps (they are 25mm's) and the new Conti's are 23mm's. I'm hoping they make the ride a bit less grueling.

Cheers,

J

We have a local ride near me called the Rocket Ride out of Nyack, NY. Basically, every Sunday morning for the last 30 years, a group of guys go out on a 50 mile ride (40 miles in the winter) as fast as they can...they wait for no one, so if you lose the pack, you're basically toast. The ride is mostly flat until the last 2 miles where there is a pretty big climb which really separates the men from the boys. There are some pro riders who have joined the group, and depending on the weather, the peloton can reach 60+ riders (and local traffic bows to their right-of-way)...and there is nothing like the feeling of riding in a big pack like that! I've not yet done the full ride...tried it for the first time late last year and got dropped at about mile 35. Went this past Sunday and was feeling really strong, but unfortunately got a flat at about 16 miles into it (and there was no way I was ever going to catch up with the group). If I was to guess at the average speed of this ride over the entire 50 miles, I would guess it would be around 26-27 mph....

Here's a little more detail on it: http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6610,s1-2-13-20325-1,00.html

As far as tires go, I was a die-hard Michelin Pro2 Race user, then went to the Pro3 when it came out...loved it, but they wore out very fast (had to change them every 1200 miles). Then tried the Vittoria Open Corsa CX and had similar results. On the recommendation of my local bike store, I most recently tried the Vredestein Fortezza TriComp, and despite my aforementioned flat during the Rocket Ride this past weekend, I've found them to be very durable, and nearly as light and roll as well as my old Pro2's....

Btw - I ride a Spectrum Titanium Super road bike with Shimano Dura-Ace (8-spd)...

jackman · « **Reply #6 on:** 6 Apr 2010, 04:19 pm »

That Nyack ride looks amazing. I've got customers in CT and get out to NY once in a while but it's too hard to bring a bike. I may bring my wife and make a weekend out of it (and rent a ride) to give the Rocket a shot. Since I've been riding, I'm below 200lbs for the first time in YEARS, but I still need to lose another 25-30 lbs to be able to hang with the fast group in my area. Also, as a recent (August) ex-smoker, my cardio is improving but not where I'd like it to be.

I'm riding every day and pushing myself to become a faster cyclist. The changes are rewarding. Hills that required my middle ring (I still have a triple because I'm too cheap to change it) I can now hammer out on the big ring and riders who would routinely drop me are having to work a lot harder. Last Sunday was humbling because I thought I overestimated my level of improvement and could not hang with the fast guys on climbs.

Probikekit.com has a sale on Michelin tires and the USA15 coupon code still works for an additional 15% off. Just enter it in the coupon line at checkout and make sure it's in dollars. Last time I ordered they had free shipping. I don't know how they do it but they are half the price of local places. Still do most of my shopping at LBS's but it's hard to pass up the PBK deals.

PhilNYC · « **Reply #7 on:** 7 Apr 2010, 12:48 am »

Quote from: jackman on 6 Apr 2010, 04:19 pm

That Nyack ride looks amazing. I've got customers in CT and get out to NY once in a while but it's too hard to bring a bike. I may bring my wife and make a weekend out of it (and rent a ride) to give the Rocket a shot. Since I've been riding, I'm below 200lbs for the first time in YEARS, but I still need to lose another 25-30 lbs to be able to hang with the fast group in my area. Also, as a recent (August) ex-smoker, my cardio is improving but not where I'd like it to be.

What size bike do you ride? I ride a 56cm, so you could always borrow one of mine...and you and I sound like we're in similar boats (ex-smoker, was 200lbs+ until getting serious on the bike a little over a year ago...am 185lbs now with a target weight of 180lbs)...

Quote

Probikekit.com has a sale on Michelin tires and the USA15 coupon code still works for an additional 15% off. Just enter it in the coupon line at checkout and make sure it's in dollars. Last time I ordered they had free shipping. I don't know how they do it but they are half the price of local places. Still do most of my shopping at LBS's but it's hard to pass up the PBK deals.

My LBS treats me pretty well...discounts on most stuff, occasional free adjustments, general good karma...so the only stuff I really go online for is clothing (my LBS doesn't have a great selection for that). Small store, but really friendly and knowledgeable guys...one of the few places locally where they build custom wheels and stuff like that (just rebuilt my wheels with new rims for me last month and did a great job...)

jackman · « **Reply #8 on:** 7 Apr 2010, 01:16 am »

Quote from: PhilNYC on 7 Apr 2010, 12:48 am

What size bike do you ride? I ride a 56cm, so you could always borrow one of mine...and you and I sound like we're in similar boats (ex-smoker, was 200lbs+ until getting serious on the bike a little over a year ago...am 185lbs now with a target weight of 180lbs)...

My LBS treats me pretty well...discounts on most stuff, occasional free adjustments, general good karma...so the only stuff I really go online for is clothing (my LBS doesn't have a great selection for that). Small store, but really friendly and knowledgeable guys...one of the few places locally where they build custom wheels and stuff like that (just rebuilt my wheels with new rims for me last month and did a great job...)

Hi Phil,

We are more alike than I thought! I pretty much buy everything except clothing from my LBS, an independent family-owned place in my town. They are great about fittings and helping with minor tuneup issues. They don't carry Continental so I didn't feel guilty about the GP's. Plus, I spent a small fortune there over the past year on bike stuff.

I'm a 56cm size also but I'm heavier than you at 195lbs (down from 230lbs) and my goal is 170lbs, but I'd settle for 185 any day! Haven't touched a smoke since I started riding. Not many road cycling smokers!

From my years of MTB riding, I'm very light on the bike. My MTB wheels (handmade XTR hubs, DT Swiss spokes and Mavic rims) are 10 years old and still perfectly true, and the Bontrager Race wheels on my road bike are still perfect. I've heard horror stories about the Bonty's double spoke design but so far, so good. I hope they break within the warranty period so I can replace them with the newer models which are supposed to be much better.

What kind of wheels did you get? There is a local guy near my town who builds wheels for the local racers. He even sponsors a team and is opening a shop. I'm going to have him build me a set using Kinlin 30mm rims, silver brass nips, DT Swiss (or CXRays) Comp spokes and White Industries hubs. The total delivered cost is $525 for the set, including skewers and they weigh a bit over 1540g's. When you have a chance, please post a picture of your bike (closeup) that shows the wheels. You have some awesome bikes!

Cheers,

J

PhilNYC · « **Reply #9 on:** 7 Apr 2010, 11:35 am »

For my rims, I got Velocity Fusions: http://www.velocityusa.com/default.asp?contentID=538

My wheels prior were Zipp 530 aero rims with Chris King hubs...had them for 15 years (although as mentioned, I had stopped riding for about 10 years, got back on the bike 3 years ago and really bumped up the riding a year ago) and ended up cracking the rear rim about 2 months ago. Replaced both rims because I wanted them to match...but because my front hub is an 18-spoke hub, my rim choices were limited. Research led me to either the Fusions or the Kinlin XR-300, and my LBS had more experience building with Velocity rims (they had never worked with Kinlin). Spokes are DT Swiss Competitions. The resulting wheels are significantly lighter and stiffer than my Zipps...was expecting the lighter, but the stiffer surprised me....

Paid $289+tax for the rims, spokes, and labor...

Will take pictures and post them later!

My mtb wheels use Mavic ceramic rims and Ringle hubs. They are 15+ years old and are still true, but my LBS includes wheel-truing in their tune-ups, so I can't say that the original wheel builder did anything particularly amazing...!

What kind of pedals do you use? I have Time RXS Carbons on my Spectrum, and old/classic Time Equips on my Cinelli and Colnago...

jackman · « **Reply #10 on:** 7 Apr 2010, 12:51 pm »

Quote from: PhilNYC on 7 Apr 2010, 11:35 am

For my rims, I got Velocity Fusions: http://www.velocityusa.com/default.asp?contentID=538

My wheels prior were Zipp 530 aero rims with Chris King hubs...had them for 15 years (although as mentioned, I had stopped riding for about 10 years, got back on the bike 3 years ago and really bumped up the riding a year ago) and ended up cranking the rear rim about 2 months ago. Replaced both rims because I wanted them to match...but because my front hub is an 18-spoke hub, my rim choices were limited. Research led me to either the Fusions or the Kinlin XR-300, and my LBS had more experience building with Velocity rims (they had never worked with Kinlin). Spokes are DT Swiss Competitions. The resulting wheels are significantly lighter and stiffer than my Zipps...was expecting the lighter, but the stiffer surprised me.... Paid $289+tax for the rims, spokes, and labor...

Will take pictures and post them later!

My mtb wheels use Mavic ceramic rims and Ringle hubs. They are 15+ years old and are still true, but my LBS includes wheel-truing in their tune-ups, so I can't say that the original wheel builder did anything particularly amazing...!

What kind of pedals do you use? I have Time RXS Carbons on my Spectrum, and old/classic Time Equips on my Cinelli and Colnago...

Hey, that's a great price for wheels. Did you use your old hubs? CK hubs are very cool, as are all Chris King components. Our wheels are pretty similar. Rob, my builder, uses Kinlin rims and my wheels will have XR-300's, he recommends DT Swiss Competition spokes but I'm going to get a price on CX-Rays. The White Industries hubs are very cool and better looking in person. I'm getting H2 front and H3 rear. The price of $525 is fair, when you consider the hubs cost about $400 alone. Here is a picture of the rear:

http://www.wheelbuilder.com/store/white-industries-h3-rear-road-hub.html

For pedals, I'm still using Shimano SPD road pedals. After the wheels, pedals are my next upgrade. I like these because they are wide platform, single side entry like road shoes but use the SPD clips like MTB pedals. I'm comfortable getting in and out of these and have no knee issues. My neighbor is giving me some new Ultregra pedals to try out but I need to get new shoes because my current ones are not compatable. I'm hoping to get some new shoes this weekend so I can test the new pedals. Other than float and ease of entry and exit, do you notice a big difference between the pedals you have tested? I'm a real novice in this area and the only pedals I have ever tried are the ones on the bike.

Cheers,

J

PhilNYC · « **Reply #11 on:** 7 Apr 2010, 01:40 pm »

Yes, I used my old hubs...Chris King and Phil Wood make the best hubs out there imho (and White Industries makes some great stuff too!), although I think the days of custom wheels are going to be history soon with so many great complete wheelsets being produced. Phil Wood passed away last month, so part of me wants to get a Phil Wood-based wheelset just to have them. Btw - I have a White Industries bottom bracket on my mtb...

The only road pedals I've tried are the Times that I mentioned and the Look Keos. The differences between the Keo and the Time RXS are pretty minimal (similar-sized platform, similar-feeling connection, etc), but the price/weight ratio seemed to show the Times to be a better value. Note, however, that Time replacement cleats are more expensive than Look cleats...haven't had to replace mine yet, but something to think about. Have not tried the SPD road pedals, although one of my riding buddies has the Ultegra pedals...he loves them compared to the Speedplays he had before (Speedplays have very little in terms of platform size). I will say that my friends who have the Look Keos seem to have the easiest time engaging the pedal. I use SPDs on my mountain bike and enjoy them...but the connection does not seem as solid as my Time road pedals.

jackman · « **Reply #12 on:** 7 Apr 2010, 02:14 pm »

Thanks for the advice. I like the looks of CK hubs and the durability is world class but I don't think their rear hub is compatable with an 11 speed and I may want to upgrade down the road. And the King hub is very loud. Not a big deal but it's something to think about. The H3 is White's newest design and is also made in USA like the King. Either way you have awesome wheels.

Thanks for the pedal advice. I'm not crazy about my pedals but I'm used to SPD from my MTB riding. My neighbor has Speedplay pedals, along with several guys in my group. They seem to like them a lot and they are double sided so they don't have some of the problems I have with my single sided pedals. I'll see how the Ultegras work out compared to mine. My neighbor hates the Ultegra pedals so I could get them pretty cheap if they work for me.

Cheers,

J

PhilNYC · « **Reply #13 on:** 7 Apr 2010, 06:57 pm »

Here's my bike with the new wheels:

Here's what it looked like before with my old Zipp rims:

jackman · « **Reply #14 on:** 7 Apr 2010, 07:02 pm »

Nice ride! Those wheels look great. If it clears up, I am going to try to get 25 miles in tonight.

LadyDog · « **Reply #15 on:** 7 Apr 2010, 09:51 pm »

Am very sorry to say I have virtually no miles in so far this year. The days that have been nice, work called. The rest, rain. Gave up on rollers and trainers many blue moons ago.

Great looking ride Phil. Tom's bikes have always been on my lust list.

I've been egging Jack on to get ride of that "sissy" triple

, and get a new bike.

Jack - anytime you want to try out a set of tubular wheels just holler.

jackman · « **Reply #16 on:** 7 Apr 2010, 10:13 pm »

Quote from: LadyDog on 7 Apr 2010, 09:51 pm

Am very sorry to say I have virtually no miles in so far this year. The days that have been nice, work called. The rest, rain. Gave up on rollers and trainers many blue moons ago.

Great looking ride Phil. Tom's bikes have always been on my lust list.

I've been egging Jack on to get ride of that "sissy" triple , and get a new bike.

Jack - anytime you want to try out a set of tubular wheels just holler.

You have some of the nicest bikes I have ever seen. Tubulars are wasted on me because I would have no idea what to do if I flatted. Don't want to be messin' with no glue. I'm getting lots of miles in (I must say!) but still not as fast as the fast guys in my group. Not even close! They are very fast and remind me how far I have to go every time we hit a hill or a bad headwind. I keep coming back for more and love cycling more than ever. Also love my C'Dale jersey! Thanks!

J

LadyDog · « **Reply #17 on:** 7 Apr 2010, 10:22 pm »

That's the nice thing about sewups, as a last precaution you can always ride yourself home on a flat.

Don't sell yourself short Jack. Many cannot ride for 2 hours at all, let alone at 17/18/19 mph.

BikeWNC · « **Reply #18 on:** 10 Apr 2010, 09:02 pm »

Got in 66 miles and 5400' of climbing today in a little over 4 hours of ride time. My fat, lazy winter indulged body wasn't ready for 4 hours on the bike. I'm a little sore. Beautiful day that started cool and ended around 70º.

jackman · « **Reply #19 on:** 11 Apr 2010, 12:48 am »

Quote from: BikeWNC on 10 Apr 2010, 09:02 pm

Got in 66 miles and 5400' of climbing today in a little over 4 hours of ride time. My fat, lazy winter indulged body wasn't ready for 4 hours on the bike. I'm a little sore. Beautiful day that started cool and ended around 70º.

That's awesome. I rode a very fast 45 miles with my group today. Not sure I rode fast (very strong wind on the way out) but the guys whose wheels I was glued to rode fast! On the way back, the headwind became a strong tailwind and my large upper body acted like a huge sail! We averaged 28mph over some long stretches.

It felt good passing so many Freds on really fancy bikes. There was a team of guys wearing all red, on red bikes with red water bottles. With over 30 miles in the bank, it was fun to pass them up. This is the first day around here where we saw tons of riders. There were even lots of women training for an upcoming triathelon. Best ride of the year, so far!

Cheers,

J