Belgian Waffle Ride; The Bike Set Up

The Belgian Waffle Ride is a unique event. It’s not a gravel ride in the same way that Dirty Kanza is and it’s not a true road race. Additionally Southern California doesn’t really have gravel, mostly we have dirt, dust, rocks or sand. There aren’t the minimum maintenance roads that you find in Kansas, these are jeep trails. That said There are a couple of sections that are actually are gravel but combined they are probably less than 5 miles.

 Polished and Lubed pre race…

You can spend three, four, five times longer than it takes to ride the course considering equipment. A road bike with a big cassette, a CX bike or the choice of new gravel specific bikes that have come to market in recent years. Last year I rode a Lynskey Cooper CX. I picked it up used from a Facebook Swap Meet group late in 2015. I eye balled the size, switched it over from SRAM to Shimano and upgraded it slowly from random parts to Dura Ace and finally added a Stages Power Meter, racing with a power meter makes sense when you train with one! Not only did I use it for BWR but I rode it at Dirty Kanza 200, The Rock Cobbler twice and Strada Rossa…almost twice! In the fall of 2016 I used the Lynskey Trade In program and I traded the frame in for the 2018 model, it netted my around 30% off the price of a frame, which was a good enough deal for me. I went with the etched graphics as they just look classier!  The newer model came with a tapered headtube, thru axels, a gravel specific frame, wider chainstays and flat mount brakes. My old frame was stripped down and the parts moved over. I had to switch out the brakes as the newer model had flat mount brakes with compressionless cables. I went with mechanical TRP Spyres, I like mechanical, if it breaks I can probably fix it or jerry-rig it to get me home.

With the upgraded frame switching across the cockpit and components was easy. The bike was specced with 3T Ergonnova Bars, these are alloy with a nice flat top, I use the Fizik gel pads under them and then they are wrapped in Fizik bar tape, there is an Arx Stem and a carbon Stylus Seatpost, everything is in black. The seat is an ISM Prologue, yeah it looks funny but I can sit on it for 200+ miles and it’s my ass. I have one of these on every bike. ISM have stopped making this model so whenever I see one for sale I snap it up.  There is a K-Edge Garmin Mount and Chain Catcher (I can’t think why you wouldn’t put a chain catcher on any bike these days)! The chain is lubed with Wend Wax, it keeps it clean and running.

I switched across the entire drivetrain including the power meter. I’ve been riding with Power since 2013 and my first PM was a Stages which is why I had no issues in buying another, with hindsight I have found that this type of riding where you don’t have the smoothness of the road can result in some odd numbers, especially when you “stomp” on the pedals, 2000 watt spikes are not unusual.

The Bottom Bracket is from Hawk Racing, it’s the sealed CX version. Best value for a steel bearing version and sealed against the elements. I have one on my road bike with nearly 13,000 miles and it still spins like a laser through warm butter!

In advance of Crushar in the Tushar I did some research on gearing. The 50/34 11-32 was fine but with two 10,000’ summits I was looking for something that would give me a bigger ratio. I settled on the Wolftooth Tanpan. The Tanpan is an inline device that lets you mix and match Road and MTB gearing. It’s needed to take up the gearing cable differential between the two types of groupsets. This let me switch out my DA Rear Derailleur for an XT MTB Derailleur and add a 11-42 cassette, this gave me a 50/34 11-42 gearing. I can pretty much ride up a lamppost with this. It was the same set up I used for Mauna Kea ascent in October. It’s a bit fiddly to set up and to be honest I let the boys at Wins Wheels deal with it. I have managed to completely eff it once resulting in the need for new cable. It’s not the prettiest of things but it works. The other advantage of the XT derailleur is that it has a clutch, this takes up the slack on the chain and reduces the risk of it bouncing off. Shimano has just (as of this writing) released an Ultegra RX Clutch Rear Derailleur with a clutch and it was used by John Degenkolb at this years Paris – Roubaix.

 How many gears; 50/34 with 11-42!

In keeping with the 3T theme the bike had 3T C35 Pro Discus wheels, these are alloy (not carbon) and are kinda deepish so there is some aero benefit. The biggest discussion after gearing for the race is tires. Last year I used Clement X’Plor USH and had no issues. This year I had planned on using the Hutchinson Sectors that we had been given at Camp last year. At Camp this year IRC had come on as the official tire sponsor and they had three offerings. I thought long and hard and chatted to several folks for an independent opinion. They all suggested the IRCs were a more puncture resistant choice than the Hutchinson's and were a faster tire than the Clements. I picked up a pair of Serac Sand CX Tubeless and fitted them. They stayed on the bike from January and I had no issues with them on race day. They are 32mm wide so much more of a CX tire than a road tire but the filetread pattern affords some grip in the climbs and corners. I opted to run them as clinchers (with leftover Bontrager slime filled tubes from DK) rather than the recommended tubeless. I have little to no experience of tubeless and now wasn’t the time to start at the bottom of the learning curve. They were inflated to 65psi. My only concern was was that they were super tight on my wheels, as in took 30 minutes to fit tight and almost breaking the indestructible Pedro’s tire lever, vs. 3 minutes for the Clements and using just my thumbs. Fortunately I had no punctures on race day.

Cloudy Day at the SPNDX Stampede!

Plenty of grip in the dirt!

Final items on the bike were a Topeak Pro Pack saddle bag with an extra Tube, lever and C02. I like that it hangs down and is not wrapped around the seat post. Up front was Road Runner Burrito Bag, another spare tube, C02 sealant, spare derailleur hanger, extra Gel and an emergency Payday bar!

Pedals are Crank Brothers Egg Beaters, I wear MTB shoes and I like that these are easy to clip into. They have both developed an annoying squeak, I have been told that this is due to sand in the spring. I’ve blasted them with compressed air but it remains!

The bottle cages are by Electra and they mounted a Silca Tactica pump on the frame.

With the bags and pump mounted the bike weighs in at just over 22lbs. It’s not light by any stretch, my Cervelo R3 is a svelte 15lbs by comparison. But the weight is offset by the ride. The titanium frame just soaks up the trail. I’ve ridden  this bike and the prior version down (and up) trails that were MTB designated. It rolls through rock gardens and the more I ride it the more comfortable I get with it’s abilities. I am hoping to go back to Dirty Kanza in 2019 and this will be the bike I’ll take for sure.

If you have any questions, just leave them in the comments

DuraAce 9000…is that 9000 miles?

There is definitely some irony to this post! Last month I wrote about how my Cervelo had rolled 20,000 miles. For the record it’s currently at 21,043 miles.

This week the bike developed a noticeable clunk in the bottom bracket/crankset area. So much so that I could feel it through the soles of my shoes. Today I dropped it off at my local Service Course; Wins Wheels and explained the issue. No worries they would check it out and let me know. Not three hours later they called to let me know that the drivetrain was in their words “dead”.

I am a big believer in logging the details and as I use SportTracks to log my mileages on gear I was able to see that it was actually 364 days ago that the Groupset upgrade was made. I also saw that a little over 8800 miles had been accumulated since the upgrade. The last time the bike was in the shop was November for the BB change and since then I have added another 4000+ miles. It’s frightening how quickly things add up when you ride around an 1000 miles a month. It has basically gotten to the point that I am wearing things out!

Anyway, long story short, new chain rings, cassette and chain. This also means new cassettes on two other wheelsets too. Wins is great in that they have no compunction if you want to source the parts yourself. Unfortunately with the Mulholland Challenge this weekend and a busy week at work I have no time so I was more than happy to let them pull the spares off of their shelves.

Two more hours later I was back in the shop picking the bike up and looking at the new shiny bits!

For reference, a chain should last about 2000 miles, Cassettes and Chaining rings should last about twice that. Of course, that depends a lot on how and where you ride and how much you look after you kit. If you abuse it and live someplace where there is a winter and all the fun weather that goes with that it could be much shorter! Either way it is significantly less than 9000 miles!

Hawk Racing Upgrades…Better Go Faster Spiny Bits!

As part of looking at what tweaks could be applied to Becca’s TT bike for Ironman Arizona I was directed to a report from Friction Facts. Several Podcasts I listen to had commented on the site (The TrainerRoad Podcast and the Cycling Time Trialing Podcast). I headed over and picked up the report that they had generated which covers all manner of friction points on the bike and various lubes etc. It’s a plethora of info that you pick up for $15.00, money very well spent in my mind. Check it out.

Having consumed the relevant sections of the report and weighed up the pros and costs we decided to pick up a new bottom bracket and jockey wheels. Rather than get the super expensive Ceramic Speed versions we opted for the Hawk Racing version which come with stainless steel ball bearings. To be perfectly honest the decision was financially driven. The Hawk BB was $109 vs. the Ceramic Speed $359 and the Pulley Wheels were $65 vs. $269. The grand totals $174 vs $638!

Quite frankly based on the research from Friction Facts the price differential did not match the performance differential. Put another way, the Hawk equipment gave more bang for the buck!

This is graph I liberated from Hawk which shows how close the cermaic and stell bearing perform;

An order was placed and a few days later a little box full of goodies arrived! Of course not to be left out I ordered a set myself. The only real difference was that Becca’s Argon required a PressFit BB and my Cervelo requires a good ol’ fashioned BSA or English Threaded BB. It’ been a about 8 months since I upgraded my bike to Dura Ace 9000 and I have clocked close to 5500 miles on the groupset. At face value there is plenty of life left in the Dura Ace BB but per Friction Facts it’s actually one of the most frictionly, frictioned, frictioning…sticky BBs out there, see the chart above!

So last week I finally got round to zipping over to my local Service Course, Wins Wheels and they did the honors, as well as resealing my tubeless CX tires. The bike was turned around in 24 hours and back in my trainer ready to roll….err nowhere!

But before I could get any miles rolled I had the SoCal Prestige CX races on the Sunday.

So now having put some more miles I can report that yes I can tell the difference! There is definitely a reduction in friction, the cranks spin easier and I am moving faster, at least traveling further on my trainer for less power and lower heart rate, all good things!

Becca has noticed the difference and there is no doubt that this upgrade contributed to her sub 6:00 Ironman bike last month!

Unfortunately (as such) with the increase in my FTP just before the IWBMAT Tour there are too many variables to get some real quantifiable performance data. So for now until I figure out how to get something more data driven you’ll have to take my word for it!

Six Tips for Tires!

I have been fortunate that in my cycling miles I have had to stop and change a flat only a handful of times. I have actually had occasion the change tires in my garage more often than anywhere else!

With that said here are a couple of tips I have picked up along the way, these relate to clinchers and in approximate the order of installation;

1. Let it all hang out; when you first get your folding tires (see #6) unpack them and hang them up and just let them unfold, it doesn’t take long anything from a couple of hours to overnight is usually enough.

2. Give it a blow; give you inner tube a quick blow before you do anything, adding some structure to the tire makes it a little more malleable. It’s also a good opportunity to double check that the tube didn’t slip through quality control!

3. Talc is not just for babies bums; adding some talc to the inside of the tire allows you to slide the tire around the tube useful for #5, for alignment. It also prevents the tube from sticking to the tire.

4. Valves at noon; I always start with the valve. I make sure that the bead of the tire is seated on both sides of the valve before focusing on bedding the rest of the tire in one side at a time. I have the valve at the top of the wheel, hence noon!

5. Logos aligned; beyond the Velominati Rule #40, practical side of this is that it allows you to align punctures. Finding the hole in your tube lets you determine where on the tire the hole may be and ensure that can double check to make sure the offending sharp article is removed before you flat your second tube!

6. Don’t Leave the Lever; steel beaded tires can be a royal pain to fit! Just try stretching a steel wire, that’s what you’re trying to do! A folding Kevlar bead is infinitely easier to fit and often you don’t even need a lever, your thumbs will be able to pop it over the rim!

That’s it, maybe you knew one of them or all of them or have something else to add, leave a comment if you do!

Speedplay Pedals Zero Aero Walkables (2600 miles update)

A quick update on the Speedplay Pedals Zero Aero Walkables that I reviewed back in May. Since then I have put on just over 2600 miles on them and they are, well were, well will be working fine, for now at least. During last week I noticed that I had lost a rubber cover, the actual walkable part!

I have lost my left one and that the one I use to put my foot down on at traffic lights etc. Obviously the rubber not only provided some grip but was the protection for what is underneath, namely the cleat. Anyone familiar with Speedplay pedals will know that typically you have a steel cover that protects the mechanism. In the case of the Walkables the material is significantly less robust. As you can see in the photos I am wearing through them at an alarming rate; three, possibly four rides outdoors has made a major impact! I am not sure how they fell off, they certainly took a bit of punishment at the Golden Gran Fondo when I had to walk a country mile in the gravel.

I have ordered some replacement covers so I am hoping that will help them last the next 2400 miles or so which is about the entire lifecycle of the cleat. I’ll keep you posted if there are any more issues!

A clean pair of heels!

White shoes…on the face of it is there anything more ridiculous for cycling footwear! Exposed to the elements and about as close to road you can get! Well as I have three pairs; Road, MTB and Triathlon I am clearly a candidate for ridicule! That said when clean and bright they look awesome, with a snowy white or brightly patterned socks and a good tan they are hard to beat!

I had trouble finding road shoes, it took me so long that I even got bored looking for them! In the end I lucked into a pair of Bontager RXLs which were on sale at a local bike shop for 50% off and I took them. They are light, stiff and expensive shoes, even with the discount! They are 95% perfect, there is one annoying feature which is the upper strap is fully adjustable so you can position it squarely over your foot and sometimes it slips. It doesn’t happen all the time but it does happen…so about 95% perfect.

I have had them now for almost a couple of years and of course they are showing some wear. Fortunately where I ride I get 277 days of sunshine and only 25 rainy days a year they really don’t get put through the wringer! A quick wipe down with a Veloshine does the trick usually. Mine have been taking somewhat of a beating from the inside out, this is more of a result of hours spent on the trainer which does not have air circulation to dry your feet that you would have on the road and they were starting to take on the color of the socks, specifically a pink hue was permeating the mesh panels and stitching, they were taking on somewhat of a fuchsia glow.

I had tried a couple of things to clean it with but with no luck and it was when I was standing in line at the grocery store that I noticed the Clorox Bleach Pen by the Candy and Chapstick. I wondered if I could bleach them clean…for $3.00 it was worth a try!

Well 15 minutes work with a stiff brush and the Clorox answered the question, yes I could! It took a couple of attempts and will probably take another round but the mesh has cleaned up pretty well, the stitching still needs some work but it’s not really noticeable when riding.

I am a big believer in, as they say in the military; “husbandry”, that is looking after your stuff and this is a easy and quick fix that will help you pass muster!

Review; Speedplay Pedals Zero Aero Walkables

I have ridden Speedplay Zeros for many years now. I have them installed on both my Road and Tri bike and shoes. The main driver for my choice of these over other options was that they offer some Float. Float is the ability to move you heel in or out without disengaging the cleat. Zeros allow you to dial this is in with a range of 0 – 15 degrees of float, Years of running have left me with twitchy knees and the float is a little kinder on them than a pedal solution that locks you into one position.

Like most things pedals and cleats don’t last forever and they need looking after and replacing when the time comes. Pedal grease should be replaced every 2000 miles or more often in wet or dusty conditions. The actual cleats last between 3000 – 5000 miles. My Cervelo (as of today) has 4807 miles on it and so based on that it was time to replace them, I had also been having some other issues with an achy knee and the cleat’s base plate was actually loosening on one shoe, I was having to dismount to retighten them. To isolate the issue one day I switched to my Tri shoes and had no problem so it was time.

When I was picking up my bike from Wins Wheels after having a tune up I noticed a new version of the Speedplay Zero; a “Walkable”.

From the Speedplay website;

Speedplay’s new Walkable™ Cleat technology for Zero pedals sets a new standard for user-friendly, off-the-bike functionality. Speedplay’s Zero Aero Walkable™ Cleats are the first truly walkable™ cleats for road pedals. The integrated, rubberized covers stay on the cleats while you are riding. When walking, the covers improve traction and protect the cleats from wear. Additionally, the thin, contoured cleat profile allows for a more natural gait and makes walking in road shoes much less awkward.

In addition to these benefits, Cleat Buddies are handy plugs included with cleat sets for use when walking in dirty conditions. Cleat Buddies prevent debris contamination by fitting into the cleat’s center cavity. When you are ready to ride, Cleat Buddies can be easily removed for riding and conveniently snap together to fit in a pocket or bag.

Beyond the obvious save on wear and tear of the actual cleat from the street there was potentially a good deal of improvement in grip to be offered during the run out or in of T2 during a Triathlon. I discussed them with Win and basically the concept was a slightly lower profile cleat combined with a rubber surround that clips on to cover the entire cleat with the exception of the pedal entry. The reduced cleat height means that there is no overall increase in the pedal’s stack height. Additionally they come with a plug that screws in. This plug gives added protection to the cleat locking mechanism in the case of walking across rougher terrain or sand. They are easily screwed in or out and can be tucked away in your jersey. So with that I was sold and picked up two pairs, one each for Becca and myself.

Installation was easy enough. Of course I had to remove my old pair, you can see the wear and tear that they have gone through.

Old Cleats off, well worn and scratched up, nearly 5000 miles on these!

Contents of the new cleats, note the different length screws for the Base shim

The rubber surround pops off the cleat. Fit the cleat to the sole of the shoe in the normal way

The surround the peels back on. Fitted with the plug.

No difference to the stack height…I need to work on my Velcro alignment!

So how they stack up, no pun intended!

Installation; this is easy, if you have installed Speedplay Zeros before you will not be fazed. The only additional step is to add the surround. I found the best way was to to peel it on and then snap the last corner, see the photos above. It pops on and stays on. I haven’t used the plugs as yet but they are lightweight and easily kept in your jersey pocket.

On the Bike; I have a 190+ miles on them already and I can honestly say that I don’t notice them at all when riding. Beyond the overall newness of the cleats the surround is easily forgotten.

Off the Bike; for obvious reasons this is the most noticeable difference. Gone is the clickyclacky walk and instead it is replaced with, well, silence. There is definitely a better sense of grip on the the ground and there is no noticeable increase in the angle between the cleat and the heel. The riding mileage and my walking has been a mix of outside and inside and there is really no sign of wear on the surrounds, they are simply a bit dirty. I have worn them on concrete and tile and obviously general blacktop road surface.

The nice thing about these is that if you do wear them our or have a mishap you can replace the surrounds for $20 and the caps for $6 and you can also get them in red, black, green and of course yellow.

So in summary I can’t think of any reason why you would not use these, other than adding a nominal amount of weight; 105 grams per pair (3-hole mount) vs. 138g per pair of Walkables, if you’re worried about 33g of extra weight you are not the sort of person who reads this blog! They do cost more money off of the shelf $55 for the Walkables vs. $40 for your standard cleats but they should extend the overall life of your cleats and provide you with a more stable walking surface.

My final thought, based on my limited walking, is that I anticipate that the improvement you will get running out of T2 will be substantial. Triathletes take note!

These Cleats were purchased by me. See previous gear reviews in the Tab above. If you have a product you’d like reviewed, contact me at quadrathon@gmail.com.

The Devil is in the details!

Minor rant time.

So after L’Etape I stopped off at the LBS to get a new chain and out of sheer laziness I decided to ask them to replace the inner tube in the tire that blew. Pretty vanilla fixes really. Later that day I picked up the bike. It was only when I got it home that I noticed this…

Can you see it?

Let me point it out…

Can you see it now?

Here’s a comparison to the other wheel…

See it now?

You see there is a rule “Tires are to be mounted with the label centered over the valve stem. Pro mechanics do it because it makes it easier to find the valve. You do this because that’s the way pro mechanics do it. This will save you precious seconds while your fat ass sits on the roadside fumbling with your CO2 after a flat. It also looks better for photo opportunities”

Here is another take on the same issue; “Most good bicycle mechanics pay attention to the orientation of labels. The most usual custom for tires is to locate the label right at the valve, facing to the right. Some justify this on the grounds that having a standard tire mounting orientation can make it easier to find a thorn or glass sliver in a tire, once the hole has been located in the (removed) tube. While there's an element of truth to this, placing the label consistently is really more about pride of workmanship and attention to detail”.

Ok you may think of this as sheer roady snobbery and you may be right but consider these two points. That 48mm threaded tube is probably $1-2 cheaper than the one I wanted; a 60mm smooth stem tube, the LBS just short changed itself. More importantly, if they don’t pay the attention to detail when changing an inner tube what else are they ignoring…brake service anyone!?

I follow Doctor D on Facebook, if you want to see how a bike can be maintained check out his Facebook page…he is a man who has learned to dance with the devil and where the details are for sure…unfortunately for me he lives in the UK!

The squeaky wheel!

In case you hadn’t noticed I have been spending a fair bit of time on my Kurt Kinetic trainer! Recently I have noticed that the back wheel had developed a nasty squeak or squeal, it’s generated by the tire slipping on the metal roller and is exacerbated by not spending any real time on the road so my tire is getting smoother and smoother. It’s becoming more annoying recently so rather than ignore it anymore it was time to fix it.

I looked at the roller and as usual there is a thin line of rubber that had had adhered to the roller, I cleaned this off with Goo Gone and then I moved the tire a quarter inch across the roller. Neither of these thing made any difference. To resolve this I needed to generate more friction between the tire and roller. I had a quick look in my tool box and there was nothing specific that would be gentle enough to not do some real damage to the tire.

I thought about it some more and remembered that in the Tube Repair Kits there is often a piece of sand paper, used to rough up the tube to making the bonding better between the patch and tube. I looked in one of the many I had and found the prefect thing.

I hand pedaled the crank so the wheel was rotating and applied the sandpaper to it, gently, to create a rough surface.

Nice an simple and like most simple solutions it worked! No more squeak!