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Summer Bike Reading

07.21.2011 by Ray Niekamp // 8 Comments

I’m an avid reader, and I try to vary my reading enough that I’m not a single-subject guy. History and mysteries are favorites. But every once and a while, I have to indulge my biking side and tackle a book written by (but not necessarily for) cyclists.

So when I was offered the opportunity to read “It’s All About the Bike” by Robert Penn (New York: Bloomsbury, $20), I jumped at it.

It’s a very simple premise: The writer, a resident of Wales, has been an avid biker for most of his life. He pedaled around the world when in his twenties. But now, he’s after his dream bike — the one bike that will last him the rest of his life. And to get it, he’s having components manufactured by the best at their crafts — wherever they might be.

For Penn, the bike of his life will be a racing-style bike, but he’ll ride it for everything — commuting, long distance rides on the weekends, even longer trips to cycling’s storied routes. He won’t settle for humdrum materials like carbon fiber. His frame must be custom built. He picks a lightweight steel frame hand built by Rourke in England. He travels to the United States for a headset from Chris King and wheels from Steve Gravenites (“Gravy”), then to Italy for a drive train from Campagnolo (Record). Back to England to see his Brooks B-17 saddle made at the Brooks plant, much the same as they’ve been made since 1896.

But something happens as Penn travels the globe to build his bike: He delves into the history of cycling and the components that make the bike what it is today. The reader is introduced to Baron Karl von Drais de Sauerbronn, the inventor of the “Draisine.” That was the first machine that looked something like the bike of today, even if the rider had to push it over the ground with his feet. And James Starley, who came up with the idea for tangent-spoked wheels, the kind we still ride on today. We learn how Tullio Campagnolo invented the derailleur. And at the end of it all, the reader understands just how much goes into the creation of a bicycle, and where it all came from, and how it all evolved.

For that reason, non-bikers might enjoy the book, too. Penn is a journalist who writes for a variety of different publications, and his writing is erudite but accessible. The book is relatively short — 186 pages — and most people will get through it in just a couple of nights. It got me thinking about what my ultimate bike might look like. I was left with one minor disappointment though. There’s no picture of the finished bike. Readers will have to conjure that up on their own.

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Categories // Books, Review Tags // book review

Vredestein Fortezza SE Update

07.19.2011 by Ray Niekamp // 9 Comments

Back at the beginning of the year, I put a new set of tires on my bike — Vredestein Fortezza SEs. I wrote about the change from the Continental Gatorskins I had been riding, and promised an update once I had some miles on them. So here goes.

The update isn’t pegged to any specific mileage number or ride number, but rather, to my first flat on these tires. One of the things that has impressed me about the Vredesteins has been their puncture resistance. I’ve noticed that even with seven months’ use behind them, the tires have just a few miniscule cracks in the tread. Compared to some tires I’ve run in the past, these fill me with confidence, and I don’t even think about the possibility of a flat when I’m on a ride anymore.

Maybe that’s what contributed to my incident Sunday. I was leading a B ride with the club, and just a mile and a half from the start, I rolled over something. I think it was a twisted piece of metal, about six inches long. I was riding directly into the morning sun at the time, and didn’t see the thing until it was too late.

So I pulled over, and the group had to wait for the leader as I replaced the tube. The metal left a deep cut in the tread, but it’s less than a quarter-inch long. I had a chance to run my fingers around the tire to make sure there were no other problem areas, and I noted that the rest of it was still fairly cut-free.

After 2,015 miles on these tires, the verdict is in: I like them. I was a little concerned at the beginning, because they seemed to be a bargain brand for Performance Bike, where I bought them. Vredestein makes a Fortezza model, and the SE is supposed to be slightly heavier than that one. (SE stands for Special Edition, and I presume it is made specifically for Performance.) Vredestein is made in the Netherlands, and since that’s where my ancestors came from, that’s another (flimsy) reason I was attracted to them.

I took a look at the Vredestein website to see if the claims they make for the tire hold up.

Very low rolling resistance. True. I typically pump these up to 120 psi. The sidewall says they’ll take pressures from 115-160 psi — much more than the 100 pounds I was used to running in my old tires. The harder pressure does make the tires roll easier.

Outstanding ride quality. True. These things can transmit the feel of bad road surfaces up to the hands, but they also have a cushiony feel over bumps — evan at that high pressure. I hadn’t expected that soft sensation with these, and it was a pleasant surprise.

Protection layer. True. I know there’s a flat in every tire, and I found the flat in this one. But for routine riding around city, suburban, and rural roads, these have been the most trouble-free tires I’ve owned. And if I could have seen past the glare Sunday morning, they would still be flat free.

Vredestein says the Fortezza is a dry-weather tire. I have not had much occasion to ride it in the wet, especially with the extraordinary drought Texas is experiencing this year. The tires come only in 23mm widths, and I would have preferred the option to put on 25s, but because of the nice ride, it’s not that big a deal.

Vredestein makes a model called the Fortezza Tricomp which they claim is a four-season tire with good traction in both wet and dry conditions. When it’s time to replace these, I might look around for the Tricomps, although the difference in price might just be enough to send me back for another pair of SEs.

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Categories // Review, tires Tags // Review, tires

Review: CamelBak Podium Ice Bottle

06.14.2011 by Ray Niekamp // 5 Comments

Guest poster Jeff Hemmel is determined to keep his liquids cold during summer riding.

It seems like the cycling media has had a lot to say in the last year or so about the advantages of a truly cold drink to keep you performing your best. And while I know there is no shortage of physiological reasons to back up that claim, I also know that, from a purely practical standpoint, when it’s 95 degrees out and I reach for my bottle I’d much rather be rewarded with something still a little icy rather than discover liquid with the temperature of bath water.

The catch? In serious summer heat, after more than an hour of riding, not many bottles seem to be up to that task.

That’s why I was eager to test Camelbak’s Podium Ice bottle, which promised to keep things chill. Like many insulated bottles, the Ice features a double-wall construction. Camelbak fills the resulting void with Zero-loft insulation, claiming it keeps the contents cold up to four times longer than a standard bottle, and yet retains the soft feel that allows for a quick squeeze out on the road. I can verify the latter claim immediately. I’ve tried other insulated brands and found them stiff and difficult to use when you may only have seconds at a stoplight during a group ride. In contrast, the Ice is very soft and is easy to squeeze on the fly. I can also even somewhat support Camelbak’s typically heftier price tags, as I’m a big fan of their Jet Valve, which keeps the contents of your bottle where it belongs until you need it, and doesn’t require me to wrestle with a push-pull top when out on the road. Camelbaks are also made from BPA-free polypropylene, and don’t retain tastes or odors.

But does the Ice really keep things cool enough to verify yet another price bump over the Camelbak’s already premium price tag?

If I freeze some water or Gatorade before a ride, I can still find some cold refreshment in the Ice even after two hours in the saddle during a Florida summer. At that stage of the game, my normal water bottle is disgusting. But that’s not too scientific a shootout so I decided to stage my own little duel. In one corner was my plain, non-insulated Camelbak Podium and in the other was the Ice. Knowing that not everyone is a fan of freezing a bottle, I simply threw four ice cubes into both, filled them with water, and then set them outside in the sun on an 85-90 degree day. After 30 minutes, the temp measured 68 degrees in the non-insulated bottle, and 50 in the Ice. After 90 minutes, the non-insulated bottle had risen to 76 degrees, while the Ice sat at 60.

Is that enough of a difference for the cost? Given the combination of the Jet Valve, the soft, easy-to-squeeze plastic, and the insulation, I’ll say yes…although I cringe knowing plenty of you will now tell me how silly I am for spending $20 on a water bottle.

Still, I’ve yet to find anything better in our brutal Florida summer heat.

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Categories // guest post, Review Tags // guest post, Hemmel

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