Here’s some bike pornography as promised. But before that some kwento and breeze-shooting.

Cris and I were biking last saturday along her area and she stopped early ¹ she had been practicing before I got there and I continued on for another hour alone and went for another 15km (I know because I bought a cyclocomputer). Then we biked in UP sunday afternoon and put in a good 18km. Then I’m going with Elaine, Paul, etc. to do a “Bisikleta Iglesia” ² It’s funny; it took a girlfriend to get me going to attend church again… and it now takes a bike to make me do another “religious” activity.

Apart from wishing it was easier to “prepare” for such activities, ³ Literally, it takes so much time to mount/unmount the bikes to/from the car, and get my gear ready, and the rituals to go through when we’re done I’m surprised as to how I’m enjoying this new hobby. I mean given the obvious fact that everything was so sudden, I do admit the possibility of a hype/fad. But then there are a lot of other things which I hope would make this a long-term thing.

Reasons

First, I really liked biking when I was a kid… those were my BMX days; road/mountain bikes were extremely uncommon in our neighborhood as far as I can remember. My second bike was actually an el cheapo road bike (we called it a “racer”). All this happened from kinder to grade school; in fact I’m feeling the only reason I stopped was because I physically outgrew my bikes and my parents didn’t find the time (or budget) to get me new ones… or better ones for that matter. So the appeal of the sport has always been there.

Second is what I mentioned in a past post:

(a) I’ve always thought cycling was a very practical hobby to have. Unlike the gym, you can get in shape while travelling, so it has both a practical and healthful purpose if you really think about it. (b) It’s also a pleasant socializing tool, as groups of cyclists seem to be like Mac users… you get together and you tend to easily break the ice by talking about your stuff hahahaha.

I had mentioned those two “merits” before I actually got my bike and rode it (pre-synthesizing happiness I guess)… now that I’m cycling; I confirm it truly is the case.

A: I tend to do a “routine round” of walking from my place to various destinations every month to do various “grown-up stuff.” These destinations are too close to bring a car to, and in my opinion, too far and numerous to be walking to under the sun. So I have to plan/prepare for it, because while I don’t mind walking, ⁴ Cris and I walk to Tiende a lot when we’re bored at night I do mind the time it takes to walk in the sun. ⁵ Because of course I’d rather be doing that stuff in broad daylight, duh!

With a bike, it’s not even an issue, I could be done with everything and back home in about the same time it would take me to do a one-way trip. It’s even better when I want to do a quick random visit to the hardware store. Wasting so much time walking just to buy a single insignificant item isn’t that appealing to me.

B: It’s even more than I had anticipated. Not only cyclists, but I’ve had people approach me asking about my bike from all sorts of situations. A gas boy would ask about it when I have my car filled up; ⁶ Assuming I have it mounted of course security guards would ask about it when I leave it with them. When I was having it assembled, the shop owners would ask “what group I was in,” etc. That has got to be is probably the most common question; but the most uncomfortable one for me to answer. It’s strange having to answer “I don’t have a group yet” – while both of you are staring at a competition-ready bike. It is a nice bike to look at I have to admit, I just hope it doesn’t attract the wrong people.

Third, the minutiae in cycling is just as appealing as IT gadgetry… that and the fact that it extends beyond the hardware and goes into the physical (and mental) stuff; which is my point in mentioning why I prefer cycling over other forms of exercise.

I particularly appreciate the mental aspect of it. When you learn something, new synapses are created, and all the new stuff I’ve been learning about myself and cycling in general has been awesome. It must be the geek in me that’s preventing me from having information overload.

Overall, it’s a wonderful “all around” activity for someone like me who likes understanding the “little details” in everything. I’m one of those people who actually hate doing something I don’t understand. You can’t imagine how dismayed I get when I see people with a DSLR (or gadget) who don’t intend to use the fucking thing the way it’s supposed to be used. ⁷ Why spend that much on something you can’t even use properly? I always believed that if you do/get/use something, at least take the time to really know what you’re doing. You don’t even have to be good at it – as long as you put in the effort learning about the concepts that apply to whatever it is you do.

If you buy say a DSLR, and weeks/months later you’re still on P (or whatever full-automatic/idiot mode it has)… you don’t deserve to be carrying that camera. Seriously, you’d be doing that fine piece of hardware a great disservice. You already got P on point and shoots, why the hell would you go get a DSLR to do the same thing your point and shoot can do?

Having said that, with biking, it may be a fad (or not) for me… but at least anytime I come back to it, I know I’m not doing my bike an injustice. Because by now, sans the actual physical development, I probably already know more about it than your regular hobbyist ⁸ I’d say I probably know just as much as enthusiasts by now; and that knowledge and ability to apply such knowledge when needed will never go away once you learn it – so take the time to learn 😉

From the time I started building the bike, to today I’ve developed the keenness of noticing the value of body geometry in proportion to the size of bike and its different components (stem length, handlebar height/width, seatpost height, seat angle, seat horozontal distance, crank arm length, ⁹ In fact, my current cranks (standard 170cm) are technically too long for me, but no stock of the shortest etc.) to physiological aspects (cadence, ¹⁰ Thanks to the computer, I found that my current “ideal cadence” is about 60+ RPM, I’m gunning for 80 hahaha good luck with that. hydration details, etc.) to hardware (adjusting/tuning gears, bleeding hydraulic systems, applying proper torque, ¹¹ especially important for carbon components etc.) and the mental exercise of anticipating proper gear combinations ¹² Which is important to prevent premature wear of the mechs and chain on sloping roads… and the all important “making sure to remember to disengage cycling shoes when stopping” (something I still have to constantly practice on).

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Bike Porn!

Alright, here it is. Click on the image below to view the gallery (hahaha how’s that for a cop-out?)

First Carbon Casualty

I noticed this while adjusting my seatpost:

I hoped it was just the laminate/finish wearing out, but I found it was indeed a crack. I was incredulous as to why this would happen – since I don’t recall ever over-tightening anything. I researched on possible causes and found this:

Seat post clamps and seat tube split tops are not round. That is to say they are not round at the bolt and at the seat tube split respectively. When the clamp is tightened, it forms a flat spot where the broken ring is drawn together. Hence, if the bolt and the seat tube split are matched up, they form a flat spot, and the overall clamping action is not round. The edges of the seat tube split are forced directly inward where they chafe on the seat post, gouging the delicate carbon fibre. When you spin the seat post clamp around half a revolution the seat tube split is under the round portion of the seat post clamp. This portion of the seat post clamp does not flatten, so the edges of the seat tube split remain round. The round part of the seat tube is under the potential flat spot of the seat post clamp. The overall effect is to make the entire assembly as round as possible.

Simply put: when installing carbon seatposts, it’s advisable to have the bolt of the collar opposite the slit of the frame’s seat tube. This meant that the shop assembled my bike wrong, because I never adjusted the collar position ever.

However, I didn’t want to make stink about it and just charged everything to experience. I decided to tune the components myself henceforth. ¹³ If you want something done right, do it yourself So I replaced it with a similar seatpost and got myself a thicker collar to further distribute the clamping force (instead of the stock collar concentrating all that force in such a narrow area)

I also decided to invest in a specialized wrench for good measure. Even had to call in a favor; since local distributors seem to sell these to bike shops exclusively:

A “torque wrench” is what it’s called, and it makes sure you tighten stuff to a specific torque setting. Since 95% of my components are carbon, I have to make sure I do not over-tighten anything. ¹⁴ Over-tightening = cracking = catastrophic failure involving impalement and/or death hehehehe It was a choice between spending $250 for the tool… or spending up to four grand later because of not using said tool (or not spending at all in exchange for your life). The choice was pretty obvious.

Other Modifications / Accessories

I installed a wireless cyclocomputer system to have some information handy while riding. If you don’t have some form of entertainment with you (iPod etc.), it can get quite unnerving when you’re just toiling on the bike and not having some realtime feedback. Knowing your speed, cadence, etc. makes any tiring “trip” a bit more interesting and bearable as you can keep yourself occupied. And knowing your cadence is also extra useful when you plan to exercise using the bike; just maintain an RPM level that keeps your heart rate up and you’re basically doing some “cycling at the gym”… but with better scenery and loads more fun.

I’m contemplating reversing the assignments of the brake-levers. Standard is left/front right/rear. But considering what Mr. Brown had to say about it; I’m on his side. Just like with cars, the primary brakes are the front because most stopping power is there. And it also makes sense to have the primary brakes assigned to the most skillful hand so it could control/modulate the brake accordingly. I’m right handed – hence I want my front brakes on the right.

The danger of doing an endo/stoppie and flying forward past your handlebars is a possibility, but is rare, and only happens if you don’t take the time to learn how to brake properly (or if you panic, which can be catastrophic no matter which brake you’re using).

Since I’m on hydraulics, I’d have to re-bleed the system – which I intend to so myself; as soon as I get a 50-100mL syringe to complete my DIY bleed kit.

Speaking of brakes, I also replaced the hydraulic reservoir screws. The stock/original [phillips] screws were so flimsy that the threading is easily worn out. The new allen bolts are much easier to operate, and more durable.

And after having some difficulty with getting hydrated during our initial rides, I acquiesced to the fact that you do need a hydration pack if you plan to do anything more than recreational riding. So in preparation for the Tour of the Fireflies, I got myself a hydration system (and plan to get Cris one as well)… I’ll be trying it out during the Bisikleta Ilgesia.

For normal weekend rides around UP, etc. where I can easily go back to my car, a 20oz bottle with a coleman to refill it stashed the car will suffice… otherwise, I’m using the Deuter.