Got the Ortlieb panniers and Tubus rack today. Man, both items are super high quality. I was pretty sold on the Tubus rack as I've read time and time again how strong the rack is. My touring partner was saying that the rack which came on the Trek 520 would be sufficient but now after putting the Tubus Cargo rack on my bike, I see the deficiencies of the stock rack on the 520. The Tubus rack is built like a tank and feels like it's almost welded on the bike with all its attachement points. I almost feel as if the bike would break before the rack would. This is clearly the feeling you want while you are touring and this was $100 well spent.
As for the Ortlieb panniers, people have a weird love/hate relationship with them and it comes down to two issues mainly: 1) pockets; and 2) waterproofing. The Ortlieb panniers are designed like sacks with only one compartment that can only be accessed from the top and they have limited pockets. Some people don't like this setup as it makes it difficult to access things on tour. Additionally the bags are waterproof, which sounds great at first blush but some people complain they can get musty as a result. I guess I won't know how I shake out on the issues until I complete my first tour but let me say that my first impression is that I made the right choice in getting these panniers - they actually do have a few more pockets than I anticipated. They are such high quality and have that "it" look to them.
My seatpost with the additional offset is due to arrive today. I hope it gives me what I am looking for. I also ordered some new tires and tubes today and they should be arriving next week. It's getting to crunch time as I leave for Italy next Friday. I think it makes sense to compose a "checklist" of things I need to bring. I'm going to work on one this weekend and will try to post it.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Def Cycling Jam
I typically try to get one long weekday ride in on Tuesday -- 30 to 45 miles depending on how much time I have and how I feel. Motivation is always an issue so it's much easier when you have a riding partner. Unfortunately I can only get one 25% of the time for my long Tuesday rides. If not, I usually ride with an iPod, which is dangerous but also fun to glide along to the music.
Yesterday I was supposed to have someone join me but they bailed last minute. I was a little pissed just bc now I was finding it hard to motivate so I decided to get some new music on the way home and stopped off at Virgin Megastore. A few guys in my office went to a Def Leppard concert last week and have been talking the band up...so I've had this urge to grab the greatest hits album. I took the plunge. Vault: Def Leppard's Greatest Hits
The album started well but it began to drag after song two (Photograph). Not great cycling music and with apologies to Russell Simmons, felt a lot like Def Comedy Jam from the 90s - a lot of hype and not much substance. It got me thinking about what my favorite music for cycling is. I know most hard core roadies would consider this question blasphemous since riding with headphones is frowned upon, but I'm working on a list and I'll post one at a later date. Let me know your favorites in the interim.
Yesterday I was supposed to have someone join me but they bailed last minute. I was a little pissed just bc now I was finding it hard to motivate so I decided to get some new music on the way home and stopped off at Virgin Megastore. A few guys in my office went to a Def Leppard concert last week and have been talking the band up...so I've had this urge to grab the greatest hits album. I took the plunge. Vault: Def Leppard's Greatest Hits
The album started well but it began to drag after song two (Photograph). Not great cycling music and with apologies to Russell Simmons, felt a lot like Def Comedy Jam from the 90s - a lot of hype and not much substance. It got me thinking about what my favorite music for cycling is. I know most hard core roadies would consider this question blasphemous since riding with headphones is frowned upon, but I'm working on a list and I'll post one at a later date. Let me know your favorites in the interim.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
A Setback
No, not the hammy. My seatpost.
My touring gear is slowly arriving. Just got my Brooks B17 Champion Special in Honey Brown with Copper Rails. Wow, what a beauty. Total classic:
Only problem is there's limited setback on the Brooks saddles. When I hopped on my bike after mounting the seat I got flashbacks to my first touring bike which was too small and I ended up returning. I was so dying to own the bike, in a state of delusion, I found myself pushing so far back on my saddle that my hammys were on the sitbone area. I digress. The bigger problem is that my existing seatpost actually has some reasonable offset to it (20mm) and finding more offset appears difficult. While not entirely unrideable, the cockpit definitely feels a bit tight so I want some flexibility. I ordered this seatpost from Wallbike in the hopes I get some relief:
The clamp on this seatpost starts at the rear of the post, whereas the clamp on my existing seatpost starts in the middle of the post. My seatpost is diameter is 27.2mm, so if I gain 1/2 of this or the radius, I should get roughly 13mm of clearance. That's actually pretty solid. I hope it works out this way.
My Ortlieb panniers and Tubus Cargo rear rack should be arriving in the next few days. I'll update as appropriate.
My touring gear is slowly arriving. Just got my Brooks B17 Champion Special in Honey Brown with Copper Rails. Wow, what a beauty. Total classic:
Only problem is there's limited setback on the Brooks saddles. When I hopped on my bike after mounting the seat I got flashbacks to my first touring bike which was too small and I ended up returning. I was so dying to own the bike, in a state of delusion, I found myself pushing so far back on my saddle that my hammys were on the sitbone area. I digress. The bigger problem is that my existing seatpost actually has some reasonable offset to it (20mm) and finding more offset appears difficult. While not entirely unrideable, the cockpit definitely feels a bit tight so I want some flexibility. I ordered this seatpost from Wallbike in the hopes I get some relief:
The clamp on this seatpost starts at the rear of the post, whereas the clamp on my existing seatpost starts in the middle of the post. My seatpost is diameter is 27.2mm, so if I gain 1/2 of this or the radius, I should get roughly 13mm of clearance. That's actually pretty solid. I hope it works out this way.
My Ortlieb panniers and Tubus Cargo rear rack should be arriving in the next few days. I'll update as appropriate.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Hamstrung...
Man, the past month on the bike has been excruciating. I've been nursing an injured hamstring that just wouldn't get better - as most cyclists know, once something like this gets in your head it can be a real impediment to enjoying your ride and it can in fact consume your very existence. The background on it is almost mindnumbing (for the reader!) but I'll give a quick synopsis. I changed from Keo Look to Speedplays X2 pedals roughly two months ago. About the same time the nose of my saddle broke and for some inexplicable reason, I continued to ride on it for a month. The broken nose caused me to sag in the saddle and put more pressure on my thighs relative to my hamstrings. Someone in my ride group pointed out the fact I was bouncing in the saddle and they practically laughed at me in disbelief that I was riding with a broken saddle.
Once I got my new saddle, all the problems started because I got repositioned higher and my hamstrings weren't ready for the stress. Additionally, because the Speedplay pedals/cleats have less "thickness" than the Keos there was even more stretch than I was used to. I spent the past month slightly lowering the seapost (like milimeters!) in denial. I'd ride slower and even take some time off to let the hammy heal. I'd even try to stretch it and still no improvement. So frustrating. Finally I figured two things out. It was actually my hip/butt that was getting stretched and my hammy was compensating. So stretching my hip would actually loosen my hammy. More importantly, I lowered my seatpost more meaningfully and shifted my cleats forward a bit to reduced the stretch in my stroke.
I finally did a ride on Saturday where my hammy didn't give out first and I was able to enjoy the full body buzz of a long ride. Wow, did I miss it. I'm also relieved to be able to figure things out with the Italy tour just around the corner - this was weighing on my mind as well.
I definitely took one funny little lesson/observation from this whole episode. While I knew it probably made the most sense to lower my seatpost, I was reluctant to in any significant way until I was able to rationalize that the pedal thicknesses were different. Amazing how stubborn we can be as riders and in life.
Ciao.
Once I got my new saddle, all the problems started because I got repositioned higher and my hamstrings weren't ready for the stress. Additionally, because the Speedplay pedals/cleats have less "thickness" than the Keos there was even more stretch than I was used to. I spent the past month slightly lowering the seapost (like milimeters!) in denial. I'd ride slower and even take some time off to let the hammy heal. I'd even try to stretch it and still no improvement. So frustrating. Finally I figured two things out. It was actually my hip/butt that was getting stretched and my hammy was compensating. So stretching my hip would actually loosen my hammy. More importantly, I lowered my seatpost more meaningfully and shifted my cleats forward a bit to reduced the stretch in my stroke.
I finally did a ride on Saturday where my hammy didn't give out first and I was able to enjoy the full body buzz of a long ride. Wow, did I miss it. I'm also relieved to be able to figure things out with the Italy tour just around the corner - this was weighing on my mind as well.
I definitely took one funny little lesson/observation from this whole episode. While I knew it probably made the most sense to lower my seatpost, I was reluctant to in any significant way until I was able to rationalize that the pedal thicknesses were different. Amazing how stubborn we can be as riders and in life.
Ciao.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Buon Giorno
I'm doing my first tour in September and I'm headed to Italy. We're working on the intinerary right now but here's the preliminary cut. There could be a few changes but I think this is a pretty solid working model. Plan is to fly into Milan and circle to Florence and back to Milan.
We're going to do roughly 700 pretty hilly miles in about 13 days of riding. This is my first tour and I'm pretty pumped up. My new touring bike (Trek 520) will be put to the test almost immediately.
Hopefully, I'll be able to do some blogging on the trip to provide some updates.
Day From/To km/Miles
1 Milan/Salsomaggiore Terme 110.0/68.4
2 Salsomaggiore Terme/Modena 93.3/58.0
3 Modena/Bologna 42.8/26.6
4 Bologna/Ravenna 77.3/48.0
5 Ravenna/Bagno di Romagnia 88.5/55.0
6 Bagno di Romagnia/Siena 123.0/76.4
7 Siena/Florence 71.7/44.6
8 Florence/Florence 0.0/0.0
9 Florence/Pisa 92.3/57.4
10 Pisa/La Spezia 75.9/47.2
11 La Spezia/Parma 125.0/77.7
12 Parma/Desenzano del Garda 86.5/53.7
13 Desenzano del Garda/Brescia 30.0/18.6
14 Brescia/Milan 93.4/58.0
TOTALS 1,109.7/689.5
We're going to do roughly 700 pretty hilly miles in about 13 days of riding. This is my first tour and I'm pretty pumped up. My new touring bike (Trek 520) will be put to the test almost immediately.
Hopefully, I'll be able to do some blogging on the trip to provide some updates.
Day From/To km/Miles
1 Milan/Salsomaggiore Terme 110.0/68.4
2 Salsomaggiore Terme/Modena 93.3/58.0
3 Modena/Bologna 42.8/26.6
4 Bologna/Ravenna 77.3/48.0
5 Ravenna/Bagno di Romagnia 88.5/55.0
6 Bagno di Romagnia/Siena 123.0/76.4
7 Siena/Florence 71.7/44.6
8 Florence/Florence 0.0/0.0
9 Florence/Pisa 92.3/57.4
10 Pisa/La Spezia 75.9/47.2
11 La Spezia/Parma 125.0/77.7
12 Parma/Desenzano del Garda 86.5/53.7
13 Desenzano del Garda/Brescia 30.0/18.6
14 Brescia/Milan 93.4/58.0
TOTALS 1,109.7/689.5
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)