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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

Stinky Bike Clothes? Here’s a Solution

07.17.2011 by Ray Niekamp // 6 Comments

With the heat wave wracking much of our country now, my bike rides end with my bike clothes dripping. I’m a sweaty guy anyway, but lately it’s been ridonkulous. Not only is the sweat a problem, but the stink from the sweaty clothes permeates the rest of the stuff in our hamper.

Usually, my wife and I will pile our dirties on top of the washing machine after a ride. It’s not uncommon to do three different loads of just cycling gear during the week. At least that keeps them away from the rest of our stuff.

Still, they reek. I finally decided to find out what can be done to mitigate the odiferous offensiveness. The answer: Hydrogen Peroxide.

This common household product is credited with a variety of different uses, some that have credence, others that lack it. However, as a bleach and an antiseptic, it does have properties that would seem to make it a good odor fighter. We bought a couple of bottles

Long story short — it works. My wife adds a third of a cup of H2O2 to our bike clothes wash load. After the first two weeks of this, she made this observation:

“The bike clothes smell a lot better. I wish we’d started using that hydrogen peroxide a lot earlier.”

It does work well. My two most-worn jerseys don’t carry that “permafunk” anymore. However, I noticed that my oldest jersey — a four-year old cheapie from Nashbar — still had a slight aroma when I put it on the other day for a short neighborhood ride. It could be the jersey’s age, or maybe the fiber content. Anyway, it still needs some corrective action.

One caution: hydrogen peroxide is a bleach. Most websites I’ve seen that talk about the benefits of HP suggest using it on whites in the wash to make them come out whiter, without resorting to chlorine-based bleach.

But with biking clothes, we haven’t had a problem. The jersey colors are still vibrant, with no trace of fading.

It looks like we’re in for a long, hot summer. I just bought another big bottle of hydrogen peroxide when I made our grocery store run today.

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Categories // Odds 'n ends Tags // smelly clothes

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