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AUGUST 2009

TUBULAR SECRETSTUBULAR SECRETSTHE BEST TIRES FOR THE BEST RIDERS

SUMMER TRAVEL SPECIAL-THE ULTIMATE 30-DAY TRIP-THE BEST BIKES FOR TRAVEL

BOB ROLL’S BOB ROLL’S CYCLING SURVIVAL TACTICS

PARIS-ROUBAIXPARIS-ROUBAIXSPRING CLASSICSPRING CLASSIC PHOTO SPECIAL

CRASH INSURANCE CRASH INSURANCE THE RIGHT HELMET IS YOUR BEST FRIEND

BIKE TESTSBIKE TESTS- SPECIALIZED - GIANT- FONDRIEST - RITCHEY

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102 CYCLING TIPS:102 CYCLING TIPS: GUARANTEED YOU’LL BE A BETTER RIDERGUARANTEED YOU’LL BE A BETTER RIDER

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NEVERSAY

DIE.“THE KEY TO WINNING ROUBAIX IS TO NEVER SAY DIE. IT’S ALL ABOUT SURVIVING, SURVIVING, SURVIVING. MAYBE THAT’S WHY I’M SO GOOD ON THE COBBLESTONES. I REFUSE TO GIVE UP.” LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW TOM BOONEN AND HIS ROUBAIX SL2 CONQUERED THE “HELL OF THE NORTH” AT I-AM-SPECIALIZED.COM

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TRAVEL SPECIAL42 THE ULTIMATE 30 DAY TRAINING RIDE

What Role Can Canada and Mexico Play in Your Life?

80 HAVE BIKE WILL TRAVEL Testing the Latest Break-Apart Bikes from Dean and Ritchey

TECH76 TOTALLY TUBULAR

Visiting the Home of FMB Tubular Tires116 ROAD TEST: FULCRUM RACING ZERO

High-End Aluminum Hoops

contentsRBA

BIKE TESTS38 SPECIALIZED TARMAC PRO

The Latest & Greatest Out of Morgan Hill56 GIANT TCR ADVANCED SL

When All Day Comfort and All-Out Performance Meet

94 FONDRIEST TF1If a World Champ Had His Own Bike

FEATURES34 BOB ROLL

As You Might Expect, Bobke Has His Own Type of Tips

50 RACING FOR A CURETeam Type 1 Is Aiming For a Bigger Win Than Just the Tour de France

60 102 TIPS EVERY ROADIE SHOULD KNOWThe Countdown to Becoming a Better Rider

86 ADS OF THE ’80s Taking a Look Back on a Different Decade

100 WOMEN HELPING WOMENJenny Skorez Lends a Helping Hand

102 MINI-WORKOUTSWhen You Only Have a Few Minutes

106 PILGRIMAGE TO PARIS-ROUBAIXRiding the Cobbles for the First Time

ROAD BIKE ACTION Magazine (ISSN: 1069-2649 Canada GST12500#9266RT: CPC INT’L. PUB MAIL 40024492) AUGUST, 2009 (Volume 3,Number 6) is published bi-monthly by Daisy/Hi-Torque Publishing Company,Inc., with editorial offices at 25233 Anza Dr., Valencia, CA 91355.Subscriptions $15.99 for one year (9 issues). Canada add $8 additionalpostage for one year. Foreign add $15 additional postage for one year.Subscriptions $28.99 for two years. Foreign subscriptions are shipped by sur-face mail and may take up to 15 weeks to receive. Copyright ©2009 byDaisy/Hi-Torque Publishing Company, Inc. All rights reserved. Nothing in thismagazine may be reprinted in whole or in part, by any means, without theexpress permission of the publisher. Contributors: Photographs should besubmitted in digital form on CD or DVD. Images should be 4 megapixels orhigher. High-quality, low-compression JPEG images are preferred. Please limitsubmissions to no more than 20 photos at one time. Transparencies andprints will no longer be accepted for consideration; such images should bescanned and submitted as high-resolution digital files. Captions shouldaccompany all submissions. Make sure the photographer’s name, address,phone number and e-mail address are clearly labeled on each CD or DVD.Submissions will not be returned. Written articles should be submitted on CD(unless other arrangements have been made with the editors), saved as “text”files, and accompanied by a printed version. Written submissions, both onpaper and CD, will not be returned. The publisher does not assume responsi-bility for unsolicited material. PERIODICALS: Postage paid at Santa Clarita,CA 91383, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send addresschanges to Road Bike Action Magazine, P.O. 958, Valencia, CA 91380-9058. Printed in U.S.A. For Canadian returns mail to: Bleuchip International,P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2.

VOLUME 3 NUMBER 6AUGUST 2009

On the Cover: Tom Boonen up front at the Tour of Flanders. Photo: Yuzuru Sunada

This page: A close-up view of the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix.Photo: Yuzuru Sunada

5Road Bike Action

WARNING: Much of the action depicted inthis magazine is potentially dangerous.Virtually all of the riders seen in our photosare experienced experts or professionals. Donot attempt to duplicate any stunts that arebeyond your own capabilities. Always use dis-cretion and wear the appropriate safetygear.

RBA

DEPARTMENTS10 FROM THE EDITOR

Here Are 20 Tips Not to Follow12 ZAP’S COLUMN

Will Shimano’s New Di2 Have Us All Singing aDifferent Tune?

16 BIKE CULTURESea Otter Outtakes, Keeping Up with the Tweets

26 LETTERSWe’re Here for You

28 WHY WE RIDEMake Yourself Feel Free Inside

30 SLAYIN' ITTaylor Phinney Lays Waste to the World

104 ASK R.C. You Got Questions & RC Has the Answers

114 THE CAT 6 CHRONICLESHow to Fit a Helmet the Right Way

118 IN THE MIXLooking for New Products

119 ON THE STREETSSome Sweet Bikes to Savor

120 LAST SHOTA Glimpse at Amstel-Gold

122 OFF THE RIVETWelcome to the Herd—As Long As You Shave Your Legs

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EditorBrad Roe

Feature EditorZapata Espinoza

Technical EditorRichard Cunningham

European EditorTim Maloney

Online EditorPhil Booth

Featured ColumnistBob Roll

DesignerVicky Bertrand

PhotographyPat Carrigan, John Ker

Contributing Photographers: Roberto Bettini,Yuzuru Sunada, Mitch Friedman, Ken Conley,Craig Dooley, Karl Ockert, Tom Moran, TerryMartin, Jeff Tse, Tim Tadder.

Contributing Editors: Philip Booth, Paolo Galloni,Chris Henry, Ryan Cleek, Bob Sutton

Test Consultants: Jon Miller, Dorothy Wong, BariWaalk, Bob Sutton, Sean McCoy, Brian Bosse

Online Editor: Tom Hinz

Production CoordinatorWally Deicken

Copy EditorsCassandra Mittelberg

Prelim CoordinatorWilliam Hawley IV

AdvertisingAdvertising Director: Robb MesecherNational Advertising Director: Robert RexAccount Executive: Derreck BernardAd Production Coordinator: Eric HarterAccount Executive: Lisa BeckwithExecutive Web Advertising Director: Sean McCoy

Hi-Torque Publications, Inc. President and PublisherRoland HinzAssociate PublisherLila HinzAssistant To The PresidentCassandra MittelbergAssistant To The PresidentKatharine McCoyAssistant To The PresidentTom Hinz

Circulation DirectorJeff Shoop

Promotions DirectorTim La Paglia

Editorial and Advertising Offices25233 Anza DriveValencia, CA 91355(661) 295-1910Fax: (661) 295-1278www.hi-torque.com

Subscription InformationTo subscribe to Road Bike Action please visit us at www.roadbikeaction.comOr call, (800) 767-0345 (8am-5pm PST, M-F)

www.roadbikeaction.com

Any change of address or subscription problems please contact us by e-mail: [email protected] or call (800) 767-0345.

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from the editorRBA

By Brad [email protected]

20 TIPS NOT TO FOLLOW20 TIPS NOT TO FOLLOW

10 www.roadbikeaction.com

T his is our first annual 102-Cycling Tips issue. In honor ofthat, I decided to do the exact opposite and tell you 20things not to do in 2009 in order to save you grief at home

and abroad.

1) When you get on an elevator with your bike, in your Lycra,do not greet others with a firm handshake and demand they callyou, “Admiral.”

2) Under no circumstances should you wear mountain bikeshorts while riding a road bike. Better not to ride at all. Go fishinginstead—and bring good sandwiches.

3) When you are at a stoplight and trying to pull off the Pro-track-stand-I-can-balance-longer-than-you thing, do not grab ontothe mirror of a pickup truck. Chances are it’s a redneck—and youare doomed.

4) Never sing while riding and listening to country music. Firstof all, you shouldn’t listen to music while riding, and certainly notcountry music. They say it melts your brain.

5) When entering a bike shop, don’t shout out, “Who’s incharge, here?” or throw the employees your keys and tell them topark your car carefully.

6) According to Zap, knee warmers are not to be worn as legwarmers, but I’m not sure I agree with him. I do, however, agreeto disagree.

7) Do not use embrocations on your legs (especially not thestrong stuff), then proceed to eat an apple or run your handsthrough your hair. It’s a bad way to start the day.

8) Don’t put recovery drink powder in your morning milk think-ing it will help you drive to work better. Just drink the milk andsave the powder for when you are actually riding.

9) Don’t decide that you alone are responsible to tell alloncoming traffic to slow down by flapping your arms like a birdand looking angry. I’m struggling with this one, but will keep youposted. It has something to do with age.

10) Never attack the faster riders at the beginning of yourlocal climb and then give them the Lance-to-Ulrich look. You can’tpull that off.

11) Don’t tell your wife you are quitting your great job andmoving your family to Spain to ride more, be a better dad andwork on your next novel.

12) Also, don’t tell your wife you think $11,000 will pay for anentire year living in Spain, and then ask her to please see if herparents are interested in helping make that happen.

13) Never ask Lance in an interview when he plans to losethose final 15 pounds. Not good at all.

14) Don’t buy a tandem for your spouse unless you plan on rid-ing it solo for the training benefits. It’s just going to be you andthe bike in two weeks, so accept it now. It’s not a bad look, ridingsolo on a tandem, as long as you aren’t wearing mountain bikeshorts and listening to country music.

15) While stopping for a break at your local Gas and Sip, don’tlet your Lycra armor compel you to ask the employees technicalquestions about the business like, “When are you guys gonnapipe in bio-diesel from Berkeley.” Just drink your Diet Rite and goon your way.

16) Don’t ever tell your wife you are thinking of becoming acar-less family unless you plan to back it up. If you make thatchoice, great, but don’t mention it to her right after you tell herabout the plans to move to Spain.

17) Don’t tell any of your riding partners that you stretch or doyoga or Pilates and expect them to respect you for it. You are bet-ter off telling them you’ve started a worm farm in the backyardfor extra money so you can buy tickets to go see Cher in LasVegas.

18) Don’t try to break into a fixie-gang without doing yourresearch in all things hip and urban. It could be dangerous andisn’t recommended for anyone over 23.

19) Don’t tell your wife you are planning on racing a full sched-ule in 2010 right after you tell her you want to move to Spain, bor-row money from her parents, and put you and the kids on herhealth insurance policy.

20) Don’t forget to laugh at how great and silly this whole cyclingthing is once in a while. Chances are it will make you faster…

The good fight. cannondale.com

RESISTANCE IS FUTILE.The BB30. Nearly a decade after we invented it, the BB30 is now recognizedas the industry standard. And standard on the Team Liquigas SuperSix Hi-MOD.

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letters


RBA

zap’s column

It’s that time of year. Spring is in the air. The flower fields arestarting to burst with color. With longer daylight hours, thespeed demons are coming back out to play on Tuesday and

Thursday nights for the Rose Bowl training rides. Oh, and what’sthat funny noise I hear? A small chirping sound? No, it’s not theswallows returning to Capistrano. It’s a new sound. A differentsound. A sound that could very well change the face of cycling aswe currently know it.

I’m talking of course about the sound of the electronic shiftsmade by Shimano’s revolutionary Di2 electronic drivetrain.“Chirp.” While there aren’t that many of the battery-operatedgroups in action, they are out there in a big way in the minds ofthe most product-affected bike geeks. People ask me if I’ve riddenit (yes), what it rides like (shrug), and when it will be available (bythe time you’re reading this).

Now, in case the shrug wasn’t enough of an indication of myopinion of the drivetrain components, let me just say this aboutthe new parts, “Yeah whatever.” I know Wayne Stetina was a bigplayer in the development of Di2, and I make no apology for theabundant respect I have for him, but to me, it’s no different than ifmy favorite eatery offered a new recipe for haggis; it just wouldn’tmove my needle at all. The technology is simply amazing. So amaz-ing, in fact, that neither I (nor any other pedal scribe) will ever beable to speak about mechanical shifting being so quick that itfeels automatic, because it can’t be since that is what Di2—andonly Di2—actually serves up. “Chirp!”

Okay, so this wouldn’t be the first time that I was accused ofbeing a Mexican Luddite. But really, I am no closer to being along-lost relative of Ned Ludd than I am Kozo Shimano. So maybe

I do enthusiastically eschew all forms of electronic gizmos on mybike. That has less to do with being “anti-tech” as it is simply thatI want my cycling experience to be as pure as possible. FeliceGimondi accomplished quite a bit as a bike racer without everonce using a heart rate monitor or GPS.

At the end of each day, after remembering and punching incountless codes and passwords to access information to get by inlife, when I get on my bike I’m looking for uncluttered handlebarsand an uncluttered mind, so that I can have an uncluttered ride.I don’t want to download ride coordinates or heart rate rhythms.The only thing that I want to recharge after each ride is myself—a short glass of red with some sliced Bel Gioioso Parmesan and“Seinfeld” re-runs will do just fine. No batteries needed.

After a few rides with electronic Dura-Ace, I came to the con-clusion that, yeah, it’s cool, but it’s not going to do anything toenhance my ride. Robb was, of course, immediately angling to bethe first on the block to own the futuristic system. I couldn’t fig-ure out why. Spending $4000-plus for bike parts that won’t makeyou faster, stronger, or more comfortable? For anyone who wasactually in search of those three attributes, I would happily advisethem to instead invest in a new set of lightweight wheels, alongwith the one Shimano product that easily does offer those threeattributes—their SH-R300 shoes with the Thermo-form, easy-bake,vacuum fit. Awesome stuff, and you’d still have enough money leftover to fly to Italy and enjoy the ride.

Yeah, I know Campagnolo has already race tested their elec-tronic gruppo and the Sramsters mumbled something about “nextyear” when I brought it up with them on our Solvang ride. Andthen it will be done...birds of a feather.

By Zapata Espinoza

Win free stuff at Zap’s blog on www.roadbikeaction.com

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RBA

bike culture

SEA OTTER CLASSIC OUTTAKESSEA OTTER CLASSIC OUTTAKES

Inspired by the rigors of Paris-Roubaix, Zipp introduced a re-designed 303 wheel that offers up a host of new features tomake your wheel-buying choice even more difficult. Keyupgrades for the $2285 hoops include a wider tire bed(22.3mm to 27.5mm) for improved lateral stiffness, reducedradial stiffness for more comfort, and an angled brake trackfor better modulation. Already a race winner, the upgradesare found with the tubular 303 only. www.zipp.com

Following two consecutive runner-up finishes in the crit androad race to the Colavita/Sutter Home squad, JoanneKiesanowski and her Team Tibco squad exacted revenge bytaking the 50-mile circuit race. www.teamtibco.com

The days at Sea Otter can be long, and there are few thingsbetter than a steaming cup-o-Joe from a bike-friendly coffeemaker to help get you through the day. Mark Ritz held variousjobs in the industry before casting off the yoke of sales meet-ings to start his own boutique coffee house. www.kinetic-kof-fee.com

As a frame engineer at Trek, you can bet that Ray Waxhamhas one of the most impressive stables of one-off bikes. Thisflat-barred, belt-driven, single-speed Madone with a patentedrear dropout of Ray’s own design will actually be a productionmodel for 2010.

The Laguna Seca race track in Monterey, California, is theperfect venue to hold an event like the Sea Otter. Besides theroad races, the nearly two-decade-old Sea Otter plays host toevery type of dirt event imaginable. After more years of rainthan anyone could imagine, this year’s event was held underideal conditions. www.seaotter.com

RBA

17Road Bike Action

As usual, there was no shortage of flashy bikes over at theSRAM compound.

Vision has been in the aero business since 1995, and thanksto their acquisition by FSA, they’re now going big in thewheel market by releasing a line of high-performance, pur-pose-built wheels for every type of rider. The TriMax lineincludes everything from this 88mm deep carbon Ultimate tothe 33mm deep aluminum TriMax Pro. The wheels use Sapimspokes and are assembled in Italy. www.theloopisclosed.com

As usual, SRAM used the Sea Otter to introduce some newparts, and this year it was the re-introduction of their mid-level Force group. For 2010 the Force parts enjoy a sultry grayanodized finish, plus a lighter weight over the previous ver-sion. Look for a complete group with BB30 bottom bracketoption weighing in at 1957 grams and costing $1439.www.sram.com

Italian component maker 3T was one of many vendors show-ing off their wares to the assembled masses. Nearing the50th anniversary of the storied brand’s history, 3T offers a fullrange of carbon and aluminum components, including thehigh end Ltd. line of stems, bars and seatposts. We especiallyliked the highly adjustable Palladio seatpost.www.thenew3T.com

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RBA

bike culture

RBA MINI-VIEW: LEVI RIDES LOCALRBA MINI-VIEW: LEVI RIDES LOCALSEA OTTER OUTTAKESSEA OTTER OUTTAKES

The Sea Otter race is not considered amajor race on the Pro schedule, so it cameas quite a surprise to many spectatorswhen it was announced that LeviLeipheimer would be in attendance. We gota chance to sit down with the Team Astanarider, who was spending some weeks athome following his recent win at theCastilla de Leon race in Spain.

RBA: What are you doing racing theSea Otter, and what’s on your plate com-ing up?

Levi: This is actually my second localrace since I came home from the race inSpain. I haven’t raced the Sea Otter in afew years, and I just thought it would befun to come down and give it a try. Afterthis, I’ll probably head to Utah orColorado to get some high-altitude train-ing in before heading over to the Giro.After the Giro, unless we do some stagepreviews for the Tour de France, I’ll comeback to the States for more altitude train-ing.

RBA: What are your thoughts on theGiro?

Levi: The long-time trial will be unlikeanything anyone has ever done before.With a distance like that it will most likelybe ridden on a road bike, not a TT bike. I

Levi: They’re not using the mountainstage we used last year, so we’ll have tosee. Last year I ran a Compact crank onthat stage with a 34-28 gear. Contador rana 34x30 gear on that stage, and I wish Ihad more gear. It’s funny to think about the

gearing now compared to back in the day.It used to be that a 23 gear was consid-ered big, then it was a 25, and then itwent to a 27. I run an 11-28 for early sea-son training, and I remember thinking thisyear, why not just run a Compact all thetime?

RBA: Earlier you talked about the ben-efits of the new SRAM cable system.What impact does it have on your riding?

Levi: I have a rain bike that uses afully sealed cable system, so I’m partial tothe Gore cables for that. Now I’m usingthe new SRAM/Gore cables on my racebike, and the shift action is so smooth—I’dsay 40 percent smoother—and that makes

a huge difference in a long race. Duringsome longer races I’ve actually sufferedfrom tendinitis from shifting so much. Withall the gears we have now, you end up shift-ing much more frequently, and you’d besurprised at how much effort that can takeduring a long day. Those cables definitelymake it easier, so it’s not as hard on thebody.

think the race could be mine. I have nopressure on me, and I have to say I was sur-prised at winning Castilla de Leon, so Ihave good fitness. With all that in mind, itmight be the opportunity I need to do well.Still, it’s a special race this year (the 100th

anniversary), and the Italian guys all wantto do good. In a way it’s a little bit like meand the Tour of California—it’s my homerace, and I always end up riding strongerthere. For the Italian riders, the Giro is thesame for them.

RBA: What about gear selections on theclimbs?

Not only was it surprising to see Levirace at the Sea Otter, but it was

stranger still to see him unloading hisbike (with the help of SRAM’s Alex

Wassmann) from the trunk of his car.

Although the Sea Otter is predominant-ly a mountain bike event, hundreds of roadriders showed up to compete in a trio ofskinny tire events. Luckily among all themodern day, high falootin’ carbon-fiberwonder bikes, you’ll always find a selectionof classic back in the day works of two-wheeled art. Among them was 47-year-oldMichael Parker of Livermore, California,who was aboard a beautiful SerottaColorado II that he bought new back in1991.

“I picked it up at Downey Cycles inSouthern California,” said Parker. “It wasjust around the same time that the 7-Eleventeam was riding them, so that’s why Ibought it. The only thing I’ve changed on itwas upgrading to a Shimano Dura Ace dri-vetrain and Mavic wheels. Oh I also added

a few wraps of tape to the top tube to pre-vent it from getting any more dented fromthe handle bars hitting it. As old as the bikeis, I have to say that it still has a reallysmooth ride, and I like its stability at speed.I think the colors are really special, too,especially today since so many bikes areblack!” Coincidentally just as Parker wasgloating over the tapered Columbus tubesof his faded neon tri-colored bike, former 7-Eleven man, Bob Roll, called us and verifiedthe bike’s sweet ride and its place in thepantheon of great race bikes. Parker thenlet on that he was skipping work to comeout to race. His profession? It turns out thatthe unabashed steel lover is actually acomposite engineer for the aerospaceindustry. “Yeah, it’s kind of ironic, isn’t it,that I don’t ride carbon!”

RBA MEET & GREET: MICHAEL PARKER


RBA

21Road Bike Action

The idea of compression wear to aidrecovery is not altogether new. Skins isan Australian company that is amongthe leaders in producing technicalcompression wear specifically

FIRST LOOK: SKINSCOMPRESSION WEARFIRST LOOK: SKINSCOMPRESSION WEAR

designed to aid the recovery of ath-letes. Anyone familiar with compres-sion wear is probably already aware ofthe signature black with bright yellowseamed products made by Skins.www.skins.com

Pacific Health Labs, purveyors ofthe popular (and RBA staple)Accelerade, is introducing a newline of products to help enduranceathletes meet their weight goals.

“This is the first time a company hasspecifically targeted endurance ath-letes looking to reach their weightgoals,” Jason Ash, Pacific Health LabsCEO told RBA. There will be two flavors

of bars and a shake version for thatcritical afternoon snack time. We havetried the bars and our first impressionwas favorable. To learn more aboutthe extensive science of these barscheck out www.forze-gps.com

“STAGES” AND LANCE HAVE ARRIVED“STAGES” AND LANCE HAVE ARRIVEDworld’s most creative and diverse artiststo produce original works of art inspiredby Armstrong and his mission to raiseawareness of the global cancer burden.This unique project brings together theworld of art, philanthropy and sport, in away never before seen, to create artworkthat represents the power of humanpotential in overcoming adversity.

SEE YOU IN PARISA big supporter of “Stages” will be

Lance’s longtime sponsor, Nike. “Nikehas been a committed partner in driv-ing global awareness of the LanceArmstrong Foundation, while raisingmillions to help in the fight againstcancer,” said Mark Parker, NikePresident and CEO. “The ‘Stages’ tourbrings people together, using their tal-ents to inspire and engage more peo-ple in the fight against cancer.” Onceit’s unveiled in Paris, each one-of-a-kindwork of art will go on sale with proceeds

benefiting the LAF. The exhibit will alsotravel to New York, Portland, Oregonand Los Angeles with final dates to beannounced. “This year it’s about morethan winning the race. It’s about peoplecoming together to use their talents andabilities for a cause bigger than our-selves and doing everything within ourpower to help those in their fight to over-come cancer,” said Lance Armstrong.

Lance Armstrong, Nike CEO Mark Parkerand artist Shepard Fairey pose in front ofa mural done by Fairey at NikeSportswear at the Montalbán inHollywood.

NEED TO DROP A FEW?

It’s a rare sight on a Saturday nightin Hollywood that you see 700 cyclistsriding down Sunset Boulevard. Butthat’s what happens when LanceArmstrong is in town to announce thecreation of “Stages” which is a collu-sion of the art, cycling and cancer com-munities to further the work of theLance Armstrong Foundation. “Stages”brings together more than twenty of the

How much power does Lance have? Thecity closed down Sunset Boulevard inboth directions so that Lance and the700-rider strong “Stages” posse couldride a few miles from the Children’sHospital to the theater where BenHarper would later play.

Photo: Susan Goldman/Nike

Photo: Susan Goldman/Nike

RBA

bike culture

While you sleep, work and or ride yourbike, the universal cycling conversationcontinues on Twitter. Offering insight intothe minds and lives of riders and industryfolk alike, here are a few nuggets thatrecently caught our attention. Yes keepingup with Twitter means less time riding yourbike. In case you want to follow along withall the latest gossip and intrigue in thecycling world, make sure to follow along atwww.twitter.com/roadbikeaction

@LANCEARMSTRONG

• “Just off the bike. 6 hrs. Amazing ride.Harder than hell tho. Oh wait, that’s theway I like it.” 2:13 p.m. April 17th

• “Mornin’, twitterati. Long ride on taptoday. With intervals. I see in the NYT thatBill Rodgers is running Boston. Awesomenews.” 4:43 a.m. April 15th

• “Just took a shower. Got it downunder 10 mins. Whew.” 5:51 p.m. April 9th

• “I hear they arrested 2 guys 4 steal-ing my bike at the ToC. These guys mustabeen @ the back of the line when they werehanding out the brains.” 4:14 p.m. April 7th

• “Read the Sunday Times Sports sec-tion on the flight. Pages and pages ofrugby, soccer, cricket and barely a mentionof Cavendish. Pitiful.” 8:17 a.m. March22nd

• “Easy day today on the bike. Wentand rode an easy lap on the Tour’s openingTT circuit in Monaco. Nearly got hit by 3 or4 Ferraris. Weird.” 5:40 a.m. March 19th

• “Yet another “surprise” anti-dopingcontrol. 24th one. This one from the Frenchauthorities. Urine, blood, and hair!Classic.” 7:31 a.m. March 17th

• “So I’m clear—never complainingabout these tests. Def part of the job. Feeltargeted? * Of course. But anything to proveI’m clean. Onward.” 9:38 a.m. March 17th

• “I’m hearing from a lot of folks that

there’s a lot of press clips re: my hairtest/drug test yesterday and I was surprisedand asking?’s.” 11:42 a.m. March 18th

• “First off, I’m never surprised any-more. What does surprise me is that AFLD( French Anti-Doping Agency) feels theneed to publicly comment on confidentialmatters.” 11:47 a.m. March 18th

@TAYLORPHINNEY

• “Gotta love int’l travel...up early, leav-ing casa Merckx soon! Only 20 hours fromnow and I am home! Blehhh” 9:36 p.m.April 19th

• “Last night in Belgie land...I’m reallyexcited to get home! A bird tells me thereare some World Champ Oakleyswaiting...Sick!” 1:49 p.m. April 19th

• “Landed in Wash. Saw some fellowOlympians…Kinda cool. Part of the tribe!”10:08 a.m. April 20th

READ ON TWITTER

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RBA

letters

ging five years behind the industry in CF components?There’s no question Shimano is the leader in market share.

Shimano was more aggressive and successful at getting theircomponents spec’d on mass-marketed bicycles. Thus, TREK, whichis a mass-produced bicycle, is sold with Shimano (although someearly Treks did come with Campy). But I would liken the Shimano-

Campy market share toPC versus Apple. PCs areubiquitous, but that doesnot mean they are supe-rior to their Cupertinocousins. Those of us whoride Campy and type onApple keyboards knowthat the intuitive designand “feel” of our prod-ucts is part of whatmakes them great.

—Doug Antelman;Flemington, New Jersey

BACK TO REALITYLove your magazine,

but I’ve got one huge gripe: What’s up with all the uber-expensiverides? I think your staff may be a little out of touch with the peo-ple who ride for the sheer joy of it. When was the last time one ofyou guys actually bought a bike with your own money? Are youaware that these are tough economic times?

—David Conerly; Atlanta, Georgia

THE MORE BOB THE BETTERJust finishing my first year’s subscription to RBA and I simply

love your magazine. Do whatever it takes to keep Bob Roll writingfor you; one of his columns is worth the price of the magazine.Someday, I will ride with Bob. I’m sure I’m one of the few peopleon this Earth to truly understand Bob, at least as well as anyonecould.

—Ed Portman

MORE VIDEOI just went on your website and was thrilled to see the video on

the time trial bikes. That was a great addition. Please keep themcoming.

—Brian Burke; Summerland, British Columbia

WHY I READIt’s clear enough to me why I like RBA, and it’s because you

guys come off as the kind of people that I’d like to ride with andthen hang out with afterwards. After reading Zap’s column in thelast issue, I think it’s better if I put it this way: While marketingsuits at the mags, I don’t buy sitting around trying to guess whatwe want to read, you guys already know because you’re like us(well, maybe faster and/or younger than some of us, but you knowwhat I mean). If something is interesting to you, then it’s prettylikely to be interesting to me, too. Keep it up.

—Craig Fritz; Scituate, Massachusetts

GET TO SOUTH AFRICAJust wanted you to know that not all the good riding this time

of year is going on in Europe. Cape Town, South Africa, hostedthe world’s largest timed cycling event on March 8—The CapeArgus Tour. Nearly 26,000 people finished this year’s tour fromthe city, down into the Cape, and back. Fantastic views, greatsupport (from theorganizers and the com-munity), and a challeng-ing 110 km ride. Lovedit! Will plan to partici-pate again next yearand hope for less windand a faster time!

—Jim Reed

GIPIEMME, GALLIAND ZEUS

Many of us spent alot of time in the saddlein the 1980s and ’90s,and most everyoneknows aboutCampagnolo, Shimano, SRAM, and maybe Suntour. But many donot know about some of the other high-end component groups ofthe time such as Gipiemme, Galli, Zeus, or that Mavic had a com-plete gruppo. Thought you might want to do a write-up on this.Could be interesting, especially things like Gipiemme’s relation-ship to Campy. This would also seem to go along with your recentstories on Brooks.

—Duane Boyle

THE HISTORY OF SHIMANO?I read with interest in your recent issue the “long” and storied

history of Shimano components on racing bicycles. There is nodoubt that Shimano has imprinted its place in cycling historywith its ubiquitous gruppos, but one could argue that its manyTour de France victories had more to do with Lance Armstrongthan with Shimano components. Until 1999, Shimano had neverwon a TDF. In fact, the most dominant riders in the TDF, such asMerckx, Indurain and Hinault, all won on Campagnolo.

But forget about stage race victories; let’s look at the recenthistory of Shimano. Is Shimano really the technological leader inthe industry? With its new Dura Ace 7900 gruppo, Shimano final-ly decided to route its shifter cables under bar tape—somethingthat Campy has done for years and SRAM did from the start of itsnew road components. Could it be that Shimano finally realizedthat riders didn’t like the ugly cables sticking out front? Similarly,Shimano gives us a gunmetal grey shift lever with a chrome piecethat looks out of the 1980s, whereas others have gone to carbonlevers. The new Super Record levers look like they came off aFerrari! Shimano’s hollow body crankset is an interesting design,but Shimano also seems to be the only one not selling a carboncrank on its high-end components. So one obvious question toShimano is: Where’s your carbon, and why are you seemingly lag-

Ads_2.indd 36 4/24/09 10:12:30 AM


why we rideRBA

In 1993, I broke my femur jumping my quad. I was 21and had a baby daughter and a wife and a mortgage...I was outof work for many months in a wheelchair. The doctor prescribedbike riding for therapy. “Bicycles build you up, but motorcyclesbreak you down,” he told me. Eventually, I began to race MTB andjoined a club for cross training. Unfortunately, I didn’t take thedoctor’s advice. In ’99 I shattered both of my ankles attempting atriple jump on my motorcycle. Wheelchair life again. Three surger-ies, therapy, pain, weight lifting, bigger mortgage, out of work,and did I mention pain? The doctor tells me the only word he coulduse to describe my ankles is “applesauce.” He doesn’t know if I’llever walk again. I’m off of my bicycle for a year and a half.

After my ankles were fused, I was able to work through thepain to screw pedals to the bottom of my cast on one foot. Theother foot had an external fixator, so I had to “improvise” anotherone for that foot. The first time out, I went for a slow spin. Itworked! I was thrilled. Each turn of the crank was excruciating,but just being outside smelling the fresh rain and exploring wasexhilarating. I was going to be able to ride again!

I gradually got better and better and rode every day as far aspossible. I grew to love the fellowship and the challenge that rid-ing provided. And I know that riding is the thing that kept megoing.—Steve McClellandYorba Linda, California

Years ago, I rode every day. Soon it was only once a week.Once a month. Not at all. I fell into a deep depression. I dealt withthis for a couple of years before I realized what was going on andfound help. Then I found your magazine. It got me off the couchand back on my mountain bike. Now I’m on the hunt for a roadbike. Hope to find one soon. Thank you. —Don from Davenport

Because it’s fun. Simple as that!—Kurt FossenOmaha, NE

Sometimes, you don’t know about things until you feelthem. It happened to me when I started riding a road bike twoweeks ago. It’s a great feeling and good workout. I love to ride ona lonely road with just nature. Only cycling can take me that dis-tance without polluting nature.Muthu Arumugam—Boston, MA

Because I love the burn in my lungs. I ride because whenI reach the top of the hill, I feel like Icarus touching the sun’s rays—only to fall back down the road ahead of me.—Brian Greenberg

Riding makes me feel free inside. My insides say, “Yahoo!”Plus, I don’t enjoy jogging. I like to just get my feet on some bikepedals and ride free. Lately, I’ve been learning how to shift gears,and it’s really fun. This is a picture of me and the bike I got for myeighth birthday.—Claire, age 8

RBA

29Road Bike Action

E-mail your submissions and photos to [email protected]

There are eight individual reasons why we enjoycycling: When all put together, they center around our love ofone of the most enjoyable sports, the ride, pushing each other tonew limits, and completing more demanding “centuries,” such as6 Gap in Georgia (picture taken there). Most of all, we ride for thefriendships we develop.—Cliff

• Robert: Cycling to me is one of the best ways to maintainmy individual fitness goals. To do this solo is great, but to do italong with other individuals having the same goals is even moreenjoyable.

• Tracy: In the beginning, cycling was a challenge to be con-quered, a mountain to climb, a speed to reach, or a distance totravel. But through the years, cycling has become so much more;it has become an outlet for stress, and a way to meet some real-ly awesome people.

• Stephanie: Each cycling challenge I take on is another wayfor me to defy age. Every ride makes me physically and mentallystronger, whether 100 miles in the mountains or a sprint to theedge of sickness.

• Bob: I have had the opportunity in these past 20 years toride with a large variety of riders. However, I had not experiencedthe friendship and camaraderie that I now have with my current“Pirate” teammates. We all have the same love of cycling and con-tinue to grow and expand that love on a daily basis.

• John: I ride for the enjoyment, the challenge, and the fitnessfactor. There is nothing like the freedom of an early morning ridewith friends, the sound of the tires, the smell of fresh grass, andthe pain of a strong head wind or hill. We push and help eachother at the same time.

• Trevor: I find myself extremely lucky; this sport has afford-ed me the opportunity to become friends with a fascinating packof individuals (the Pirates).

• Richard: Simply because I like it. The friends, fitness, andother health benefits that come with the sport are also a strongattraction—from the strong feeling of being the engine in front ofthe pace line to being humbled at the back of the line using allyour physical strength just to hang on.

(Georgia Six-Gap photo from right to left (front): Cliff, Robert,Tracy, Stephanie, Bob, John. Back row right to left: Trevor,Richard.) All reside in Seminole County, Florida.

There is no way to describe the feeling of the earlymorning ride. It’s springtime; the sun is coming up over that“beast of a climb.” The birds are up; they’re “chirping” you on.They know the feeling; they are as happy to greet the morning asyou are. You reach the summit. Heart pounding, legs burning, asmile across your face. “Good morning.” You’ve met the sun atthe top again. You close your eyes for a brief moment, listeningto the morning—yep, it’s going to be a great day. —Cheryl

To go fast, and push through my pain and weakness.I know that if I am sitting on my couch, somebody, somewhere,is out-working me...I have a little talent, but that won’t win races.That is why I have to ride harder and smarter than anybody Iknow.—Alex Vanias

Skate Ski BikeI bike, I run, I skate, I ski,To set the peace inside of me,Free.My muscles ache, sweat burns my eyes.It really comes as no surprise,That some comment, “You must be crazy,”To them I say, “I’m just not lazy,”I toil and I work all week,For people who don’t help me seek,The freedom and the peace I crave,They chain my spirit like a slave,I climb those hills because they’re, “there,”I ride my bike to God knows where,I skate and ski because I find,To free my heart and thus unbind,My soul,I must.

—Norm AlmackPrince George, British Columbia, Canada

RBA


Iwon the World Championships on March 26 in a suburb ofWarsaw known as Pruszkow on a beautiful and brand-new,250 meter velodrome built of the finest blonde Siberian pine

and housed in a world-class arena. I won’t forget that track, northe feeling of that great pair of rides, nor of standing on the topstep of the podium wearing the coveted rainbow jersey. I alsowon’t forget the suffering that brought me to the starting linefeeling fitter than ever.

Money in the bank. Our Trek-Livestrong team decided to go tothe Vuelta Mexico Telmex in early March for experience and train-ing. I knew this volume of hard work would be good for me, butfor some reason I had it in my mind that this was going to besome small-time race in Mexico and it wouldn’t be that hard. Boy,was I mistaken. Maybe it was just lost in translation. The race waseight days, with five stages over 200 kilometers long. Truthfully,

I’d never ridden that far in a single day. The secondstage was easily the hardest day I’ve had on a bike.Stage three and four were equally hard. The fifth

stage climbed up and up for a solid 100 kilometersand topped out at around 13,000 feet, making the past

couple of days feel like walks in the park.

By stage five it really hit me. Wow, this sport is incrediblyhard. And I’m only at the Tour of Mexico. Just wait until the Tour

De France! Motivation was ebbing, especially during the longtransfers to stage starts, but we had a great team, a great staff,and an awesome director (Axel Merckx). I managed to pushthrough and make it to the final stage before mechanical prob-lems put me out of the race.

I flew home and spent five days in bed. While luxuriating onthe fold-out couch in the living room, watching a movie and eat-

ing some tasty food I had made for myself, I came to the real-ization that I was really happy. This is the life. There is

something beautiful about pushing your body to itsabsolute max and being able to spend several days

simply letting it recover.

When my energy came back, I had some of the bestworkouts (wattage output-wise) ever. My confidence was

boosted. I flew to Poland with Coach Neal Henderson, and wehad used upgrades for the business class. What a difference

the flatbeds make; I slept six hours. I arrived fresh andready to ride. We put the bikes together and went tothe track. I had no trouble with the time change andhad maintained complete control of my composure.

My workouts in the days prior were right on schedule, andI was flying.

Dream master. Every night before bed I would daydreamabout winning, putting the jersey on (even flashing forward to thepress), and the prestige. I realized that these moments are what Ilive for. Anticipation, the attention of the crowd, the biggest stageI’d be on all year. I was going to win. I knew it. I couldn’t wait.

My support crew was in place. Coach Neal Henderson hadbeen with me the whole time, and my mom flew in a couple daysbefore the big day bearing homemade muffins. Jim Miller, thenew Director of Athletics at USA Cycling, was upbeat, and theBelgian staff (Danny and Fox) gave me support and confidence.

Race day. I wake up, have breakfast, ride the rollers for 30-45minutes, shower, eat again (four to five hours before my start),then I have time alone for a couple hours. The two-plus hours Ihave to myself before my race are the most important part of myprogram. It’s fuel, it’s where I dispel doubts—prepare myself for bat-tle, if you will. They say you have to see it to do it. I’m a believer.

I get to the track two hours prior to my start and stretch andhang out, just soaking in the atmosphere and pumping myself up.I plug into my playlist of seven songs that match my warm-upentirely so I don’t need a watch. I cruise through the warm-up feel-ing good, and with 20 minutes to go, I am off. I get completely

exclusive column

THE SLAYING OF THE WORLD

REVOLUTION BEGINS:

By Taylor Phinney

Photos: Rob Jones

RBA

race ready and then really get into the zone. Those last 15 min-utes are very important to my success. I ride the rollers until threeminutes before my race, get off and wait. I knew what time I hadto hit and held myself back a bit for the final ride. I set a new per-sonal best: 4:15.1.

Pursuit is so-named because you pursue your opponent.Starting on opposite sides of the track, the fastest rider wins, butthe real goal is to catch your opponent. It’s a test of speed andendurance, and it is tactical. If you start too fast, you die. Tooslow, and you give your opponent an advantage you may notrecover from. You have to choose your gear carefully. To win thetitle required me to ride a strong final against the highly touted19-year-old Australian Jack Bobridge. At one point during mywarm-up, I could feel the pressure getting to me. I had to use allmy mental skills to beat back the doubt.

In the start gate I stayed focused, trying not to look up at thegiant image of me on the big screen or to dwell on the 16 laps ofracing ahead of me. Four kilometers. Fifty seconds on the count-down clock. Breathe. Breathe. 30. 10. Five. Four. Three. Two. Leanback. One. Boom! Power on. I was off. I kept it steady, knowingthat I had the strength to match anything my opponent had, butthat I had to stay on schedule for the first half of the race. JimMiller called my splits, so I knew I was right on schedule.

At two kilometers we were just .005 seconds apart, but Istayed rock steady. The lactic acid was building, but I kept myhigh cadence and stayed smooth and aero. Four laps; one kilome-ter to go. I had him. I was gaining every lap. It hurt, but I was inthe zone—so far into it that I didn’t even think about the fact thatI was winning! I crossed the line, and a huge feeling of relief sweptover me. Involuntarily, I stuck out my tongue and made a funnyface. I grabbed a USA flag from my coach. Hand shakes. Hugs.

Interviews. Cameras. It was disorienting. It was huge.

The only problem with expecting yourself to win is that thebiggest sensation you feel is relief. Still, it felt nothing short ofgreat. The medal ceremony was sweet. The big screen was playingsome race highlights. Hearing the anthem was cool. The most Idid to celebrate was to rock the gold Oakley Frogskins for about45 seconds—just for fun. I warmed down and went to my seconddrug control of the day (the first one was at the team hotel at 8:30in the morning).

That night it took me a very long time to wind down and sleep.Everybody in the Phinney camp but me was celebrating at theIdeal Hotel, as I had to race the kilo the next day. My mom wasreally proud of me. She bought a round of beers for the supportcrew at the hotel and sent e-mails late into the night.

I wasn’t as nervous about the kilo as I was about the pursuit. Idon’t train for the kilo, but I do like it in a sick sort of way, and I’mgood at it. Your typical kilo rider is a pure sprinter with thick, mus-cular legs. Normal kilo riders open with a fast first lap and thenslow down over the next three laps. Some of them are comicallyslow in the final half lap as their fast-twitch muscle fibers arespent. I, on the other hand, open about a second or more slowerthan they do and get faster with each lap. I’ve only raced the kilotwice, and both times I’ve won. I was actually thinking I might winthis one, too.

31Road Bike Action

RBA

exclusive column

Right before my start, the German, Stefan Nimke, went incred-ibly fast with a 1.00.66, a new sea-level world record. I tried toresist looking at his time, but the crowd reaction told me he wasthe man to beat. I took off fast and held my speed, inevitablydying a bit more than normal towards the end. The pain in thatlast lap is excruciating, but it is a different pain than the pursuitbrings. The thing I like about the kilo is it is so short that the painis easily forgettable. I rolled a new personal best, a 1:01.61, andwas sitting in second place. But there were a lot of good riders yetto ride.

I sat through a dozen more heats of men who started out blaz-ing fast and then barely missed my time. I held my breath as theMalaysian rider Tisin virtually tied me; he was only a few hun-dredths behind. When the last rider went and I realized I had wonthe silver, a wave of relief poured over me. The waiting was over.A silver medal! In the kilo!

Winning the Pursuit title in Poland will always have the biggestplace in my heart, but in retrospect, I know that kilo medal wasspecial and surprised a lot of people, even me.

There’s a revolution happening in track cycling. A lot of usyoung guys are coming up and doing great things. This is thestart. Hang on and enjoy the ride!

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RBA

By Bob RollPhotos: Yuzuru Sunada

THREE STRONG SUGGESTIONS &

SEVEN HANDY TIPS

BOBKE’SBOBKE’S

RBA

35Road Bike Action

L et’s face it. Most of us will never race in the Tour de France,and the average enthusiast will never perform at the levelthat elite pros maintain on a daily basis. However, we can

all enjoy an enhanced cycling experience by emulating some oftheir habits. But before we get to those, there are habits of thepros that I strongly suggest you do not emulate.

STRONG SUGGESTION #1Do not suffer like a pro! Bike racers at the highest level have

a pain threshold that will take your breath away. They hover justbelow cardiac arrest, suffocation,and lactic acid induced asphyxia-tion for many hours each raceday. Most professional sportsthat the masses enjoy are varia-tions on the theme of hand-eyecoordination. Baseball, tennis,golf, cricket, basketball, hockey,football and even race car drivingare hugely popular. But for me,the thought of commuting to astadium and planting my behindon a Frisbee-sized piece of plasticto observe others play a game ofglorified keep away is not verysavory. On the rare occasionsthat I have done something of thissort, it has appeared to go some-thing like this: Guy catches ball,his team wins. Guy drops the ball,his team loses. So then, I askmyself, did they really go any-where with that?

Bike racing is different. As apro, you launch yourself into aninferno of misery and abject suf-fering. For the pros, this is ameaningful and worthwhileendeavor. If you do it well and frequently, you will be paid hand-somely. For most people, though, the depths to which the prosdescend into Purgatory are to be avoided. It is fine to creep up tothe edge and look down into the lake of fire, but better to backaway from leaping into the place where bad folks go when theydie.

STRONG SUGGESTION #2Do not take drugs to pedal your bicycle faster. While most pro

riders don’t take drugs, some of them do. The few who do thedrugs get caught and become enablers of a press corps chomp-ing at the bit to go berserk with a bank of superlatives at theready. I personally could never see the value of climbing anymountain with a pharmacist tagging along for the ride. I alwayswanted to know what I was capable of and have been fiercelyreluctant to compare myself to any drug-bloated Euroturd withself-esteem issues and a grim future in the factories and gulags ofEurope. Drugs have saved my life but will never help me ride mybike.

STRONG SUGGESTION #3Never use your riding to define your self worth. For far too

many pros, riding bikes is closely tied to feeling good about them-selves. The faster they ride, the more personal worth they feel.Believe me, somebody will eventually be able to push on the ped-als a little bit harder than you can. I admit to not having beenimmune to this phenomenon at times in my life. And those timeshave been the least gratifying of my riding career, even though Imay have been traveling at a high rate of speed. The challenge ofthe open road, camaraderie with good friends, and a sense of

accomplishment after a hard ride aremuch more sustainable byproducts ofswinging a leg over my machine.

Now, here are some things that prosdo that help us all enjoy our riding a lit-tle bit more.

TIP #1Become one with your bicycle. To see

a pro laid out on his bicycle streakingeffortlessly down the road is a thing ofbeauty. The hours, days, weeks andyears of riding that most pro riders putin to rise to the top form a unit of effi-cient transportation where the rider andmachine are virtually inseparable. Thepoint where the bicycle ends and therider begins is so seamless that itbecomes impossible to differentiatebetween the man and the machine. Overthe years, I have come to believe thatthis is the difference between the prosand everyone else. Proper bike fit is a bigstep in the right direction. Most goodbicycle shops have a fitting area andqualified personnel who can get youstarted with a good position. Bike fit isso dynamic and includes such an amaz-

ing array of measurements that Euclid himself would never havehad time for geometry if he were a bike racer. Here are just a fewof the key measurements to consider: seat height; seat set-back;seat width, length and angle; crank length; crank Q-Factor; shoecleat set-back; shoe/cleat/pedal spindle height; reach to handle-bars; drop of handlebars; handlebar width; brake lever height andso on. Getting all these parameters close enough to enjoy ridingis critical for every cyclist. After many miles and due diligence,anybody can achieve the ideal relationship between bike andrider.

TIP #2As important as being one with your bike is being smooth. To

be smooth requires an ideal position on the bike. And a good posi-tion goes a long way toward being relaxed, which in turn makesyou a much safer cyclist. A rider who isn’t rigid and uncomfort-able can pedal smoothly for miles. This relaxed, supple, seamlesspropulsion of rider and bike is the foundation of a truly satisfyingride. Delightfully, this balanced relationship enables one to


RBA

absorb terrain changes, respond to dangerous moves by others,avoid obstacles and ultimately achieve a level of awareness andsafety that makes each ride more memorable than the previousone. The pros are so relaxed and smooth that thousands of milespass under their wheels in insanely tight quarters with miracu-lously few accidents. Observe and report to your own group.

TIP #3Massage is good. The pros get a massage almost every day.

This level of commitment is not necessary for everyone, but youshould get a massage as regularly as you can. You will thank meif you do this.

TIP #4Do not crash! It is so

easy to say, but impossibleto do. Crashing will ruin yourpursuit of happiness on abicycle. Crashes hurt.Crashes require varyingdegrees of recuperation,depending on the severity ofthe injuries sustained.Crashes can be lethal. And,crashes are inevitable. Fromthe simple I-can’t-get-out-of-the-pedals tip over at a stop-light to the full-blown, booty-over-tea-kettle, high-speedcartwheel, crashes stink. Myworst crash was also theeasiest to avoid. I crashedinto a concrete lightpostgoing about 30 mph inSwitzerland and shatteredmy left collarbone. Silly me, Iwas looking at my feetinstead of at the road aheadof me. During my racingcareer, I was fixated on get-ting my feet aligned so that they were straight as an arrow. Infact, it was more than a fixation, it was a coping mechanism thatallowed me to dwell on something besides being slaughtereddaily by my peers. Before my collarbone was vaporized by thatSwiss lightpole, I had crashed hundreds of times. In all those tum-bles I jumped up as if I was made out of flubber. When I think ofthe danger I presented to myself and those around me because ofmy distraction with my shoes and pedals, I am amazed a muchworse crash never occurred. My position on the bike was an ongo-ing vexation to me that eventually came to a miserable conclu-sion. I am happy to report that most cyclists are not nearly aspathological as I am and avoid crashing into perpetuity by beingsmooth, relaxed, alert and well-fitted on their bikes.

TIP #5Don’t lie about your fitness. One of the most aggravating

things about the Euro-schloogs is that when asked about theirreadiness for the next race they all say, “Oh no, I am totally out of

shape.” Then they proceed to rip your legs off at the first chance.Don’t be this stripe of rider. If you are fit, then say so whenqueried. If you are tired, do not sit on the back wheel of yourfriends waiting until you feel better before dropping them on thefirst climb when your legs come around.

TIP #6Do not race the pros if you encounter them on a ride. Believe

me, they are not impressed if you sit on their wheels and racethem up hills. They are even less impressed if you sit on theirwheels and hurl questions at them as you go down the road.Least impressive of all is when you speed up to get to their group

and then crash yourbrains out in front of thesame men you are desper-ately trying to impress(don’t laugh—I’ve seen ithappen). In fact, let’s allbe safe and not even ridewith the pros unless askedto do so. And even then,do not crash until you areback on your own.

TIP #7Hygiene and common

sense. Lastly, I’d like to dis-cuss some issues ofhygiene and commondecency. Hairy legs areacceptable so long as theyare not matted with lini-ment. Leave the dreads foryour head! If you use lini-ment, it should not havespoiled nor smell like thebilge pumps in BarnacleBill’s tugboat. Your kitshould be freshly laun-dered when you put it on

before you ride. It should not be laden with soap suds due toimproper rinsing. If said latent suds happen to be resurrected byrain, it will look like your buttocks have rabies. Not good. Your bikeshould also be in good working order—especially the brakes. Youshould be able to perform all simple tasks necessary to keep yourbike moving in case of a reasonable mishap. Reasonable mishapsinclude flat tires, broken spokes, a broken chain or loose bolts. Youshould also be able to notify back-up transportation is case ofsome catastrophic mechanical failure. Never engage cars in com-bat; you will lose. You should strive to be an asset to your groupand not a liability. White shorts are not permissible if there is eventhe slightest chance of rain or if you sweat profusely. No sharpobjects in your pockets, no glass containers on your bike, andwhen in Belgium, no window shopping for beer.

BONUS TIPPoint out obstructions to the rider behind you—especially if it

happens to be me at your back.

BOBKE’SBOBKE’S

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Photos by: Adam Boothbike test


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Road Bike Action 39

Start by looking at the oversizeddowntube and the extended headtube, and then focus a little while

on the deep red finish and race-readydesign. Specialized has made an enor-mous commitment to the Tarmac frameby sponsoring two of the strongestteams in cycling: Quick-Step and SaxoBank. Race testing has always been animportant part of Specialized’s productdevelopment, and the evolution of theTarmac Pro SL is a direct result of feed-back from riders like Tom Boonen andFabian Cancellara, who ride the top-of-the-line SL2. Fortunately, the technologyhas trickled down to the Tarmac Pro SL.Plus, let’s be honest, the bike just lookspro. The good news is that you don’thave to be in the ProTour to get one.

THE FRAMEThe Tarmac Pro SL begins with FACT

10r carbon (the highest designationSpecialized gives for carbon is 11r forthe Tarmac SL2, which will run you anadditional $3000) and features theever-popular oversized bottom bracket,all in a compact race design. The slight-ly sloping top tube mated to the over-sized downtube, and striking seat staysand chain stays give the Pro SL a fast

TARMACPRO SL DURA-ACEThe Tarmac Pro doesn’t just look fast; it is fast.

SPECIALIZEDTARMAC

look. Up front is a carbon monocoquefork with an oversized race.

THE PARTSThe all-red Pro SL features a Shimano

Dura-Ace build (other builds are avail-able in other colors) with Ultegra brakes,a Specialized FACT Pro carbon crankset,and the worthy and popular FulcrumRacing 1 wheelset with Specialized Protires. A selection of Specialized home-grown components graces the Pro SL: aSpecialized Zertz-infused seatpost, aBody Geometry Toupe saddle with hol-low ti-rails, an S-Works carbon handle-bar, and the 3D-forged Pro-Set stem.

THE NUMBERSOur 58-centimeter Pro SL featured a

58.2-centimeter top tube, a 73.5-degreehead tube angle, a 73-degree seat tubeangle, and a 205-millimeter head tube.The Pro SL is available in 49-, 52-, 54-,56-, 58- and 61-centimeter sizes and isavailable in red or team carbon red.

THE RIDEThe Tarmac Pro SL Dura-Ace looks

like it wants to be ridden. The red frame,the red strip of color on the SpecializedPro tires, and the red detail on the Toupe


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Specialized’s Tarmac Pro puts ProTour performance into the com-pact frame design.

saddle all give the Pro SL a racy personality.Then, once we actually got on the bike, wewere more than impressed. From the very firstride we thought the Pro SL performed as wellas any bike we have ridden in the last year—and maybe better. From sprinting to climbingto remaining steady and comfortable onthree-hour plus rides, the Pro SL over-per-formed at every turn. Speaking of turns, thecombination of the Pro SL’s geometry and theFulcrum 1 wheelset allowed us to throw thisbike into the corners in a way that we’ve onlyexperienced with significantly more expensivebikes. One has to wonder, if this bike ridesand looks so pro, why spend the extra $3000for the SL2 unless you are Tom Boonen andneed the extra stiffness? We loved the BGToupe saddle and really liked the design andbend of the S-Works carbon bar. Shimano’sDura-Ace 7900 worked well for all reviewers.For the sake of flow, however, if we had themoney we would upgrade to 7900’s brakes,as their stopping power is unparalleled. Aswith any carbon seatpost, make sure to putsome Finish Line Fiber Grip on the post to pre-vent slipping.

THE VERDICTBuy one as soon as possible and ride it for

a long time. It’s light, stiff, comfortable andversatile. And, it looks like it costs twice asmuch. If you can’t swing $5500 in this econo-my, take a look at the Expert ($3700), the

The Specialized crankset joins togetherin the center of the bottom bracket.

A Zerts insert in the seatpostdamps high-frequency vibration.

Comp at ($2700), or the Elite at($2200). They have similar looks butdifferent carbon and spec. We werereally impressed with the attention todetail on this bike and how much weliked it from beginning to end.

Price: $5500Weight: 15 poundsInfo: www.specialized.com

FREE SOCKSWITH PURCHASE

See Website for Details

www.KendaUSA.com

DopE YOUR RIDE!

Kriterium

C2C

Konstrictor

Kontender Lite

Kaliente

ADS_1.indd 2 3/3/09 9:20:01 AM

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43Road Bike Action

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THE ULTIMATE 30-DAY

THE ULTIMATE 30-DAY

What happens when two friends decide to ride 1900 miles from Vancouver, Canada, to Tijuana, Mexico, carrying only a credit card and a few meager belongings?

The ride is one of the most beautiful stretches of road in the world, and the journey was unencumbered by

panniers or set plans.By Bob Sutton

VANCOUVERTO TIJUANA

VANCOUVERTO TIJUANA

TRAINING RIDE: TRAINING RIDE:

44www.roadbikeaction.com

All of us, at one time or another, have seen another bicyclistmoving slowly down the road, laden with front and rearpanniers and a rack piled high with a sleeping bag, pad

and tent. And we’ve wondered what it would be like to head offall alone, with no support, on a long journey by bicycle.

It seems so complicated. First you have to buy a touring bikewith longer chainstays (to keep your heels from hitting the pan-niers) and cantilever brakes powerful enough to slow down 60 to70 pounds of bike and gear. Then you’ve got to figure out whichrack system and panniers are best for the trip. Last, but not least,it’s necessary to figure out the lightest camping and cooking gear.

Instead, how would you like to ride your latest and greatesthigh-end race bike on a journey? Credit card touring is what youare looking for. Ride your latest carbon wonder, or whatever elseyou’ve got hanging from your rafters, on the trip of a lifetime. Thekey is not so much what to take, but what to leave at home.

THE JOURNEY BEGINSMy traveling buddy, Tom, and I always dreamed of doing a

long bicycle trip together when we both retired, so a couple ofyears ago, at the ripe old age of 60, we flew to Vancouver, BritishColumbia, wearing nothing but river shorts, cycling jerseys, a pairof socks and mountain bike shoes. Our cycling shorts, poly-proshirts, arm and leg warmers, gloves and windbreaker were tucked

inside water bottles, and our Jandd Mountaineering MountainWedge III seat-bags were all packed away in our recycled bicycleboxes.

We landed in Vancouver, and when my turn came to approachthe Canadian border official, he took one look at the way I wasdressed, then glanced at Tom and said, “I want to hear your story,but I only want to hear it once. Have your buddy come up here.”

Our plan was to ride nearly 1900 miles along the Pacific coast,starting in Vancouver, B. C., and ending across the Southern U. S. bor-der in Tijuana, Mexico. We wanted to ride fast and have a good time,not work our tails off and sleep on the ground each night. So we car-ried a credit and ATM card, cash and our AAA and AARP cards fordiscounts along the way. We planned our trip so that we would be ata motel, with laundry facilities, every night. No sag, no support, justour wits, our Specialized Roubaix, and our meager belongings.

WHAT WE SAWThe roads along the West Coast of the United States are as beau-

tiful as anywhere you’ll ever have a chance to ride. We loved the ferncovered, deep forests of Washington and Oregon and were stunnedby the size of the Redwoods in Northern California (so dark that youneeded front and rear lights). But being two Kansas boys, we nevertired of the crashing waves along the crags, cliffs and beaches of thePacific coast.

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VANCOUVER TO TIJUANAGET RID OF IT

Tom trained hard for the trip by riding with a group of racers(no slouch himself with a state mountain bike championship titleto his name) several times a week, while I, always fearful of thedetriments of overtraining, kept my riding down to a couple of 30-milers a week. Needless to say, by the third day of my dream tour,I was toast. Tom claims that he talked me through that day, but Idon’t remember anything except wishing that I’d brought moreBag Balm. That day was a death march! Riding into Bremerton,Washington, I spotted a “Pack and Post” and told Tom that I hadto mail a few things home. Startled by my haggard appearance,the lady working at the counter asked me how she could help,and I answered, “I need a small box,” not knowing how much wasgoing home, but knowing that this was a time for severe cuts inluggage. Right in front of her, I dumped everything that I had withme on the ground, then picked up each item and made a choice.Two and a half pounds went home in that box, including my sun-glass case, billfold (a Zip-loc would do), heart rate monitor (all myheart needed to do was keep beating), Chapstick, a dead tirepump, fleece vest, and emergency toilet paper (scary). I wasnever so glad to ship a package in my life. That two and a halfpounds felt like fifty once it was gone. My spirits began to liftalmost immediately.

The fourth day I took a pull, much to Tom’s surprise, and fromthen on, I was ready to roll. Really, though, Tom did most of thepulling. That’s why I had most of the flats and cut tires (when

you’re up close and personal, it’s hard to see much in front of you;I hit everything).

NATURE’S FUEL & THE PROPER GEARFueled by wild blackberries we found during a nature stop

while still in Canada, and all the way south to Santa Cruz, werolled along totally enthralled by the scenery surrounding us.

Another surprise of the trip was the amount of climbing alongthe route. Every stream flowing to the Pacific came with the requi-site fabulous curving downhills and gut-busting uphills—whichmade it tough to dress appropriately. We settled on our poly-prolong-sleeved shirts, under a jersey, to ward off the chill/sweateffect of these sections.

Our trip was thirty days long, with four of those being restdays. We chose Portland, San Francisco and Santa Barbara forour days off, because we wanted to explore those cities.

FINDING OUR WAY AROUNDWe relied on maps that we purchased from The Adventure

Cycling Association and can’t praise their usefulness enough. Theroads chosen are peaceful and travel through local, scenic areasthat you typically wouldn’t find on your own. We didn’t ride theshoulder of I-5 or the 101. In addition to the routing information,the maps included information important to a bicyclist: bicycleshop locations, camping spots, motel listings, food availability and


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VANCOUVER TO TIJUANA

much more. Now available, but not when we took our trip, is GPSwaypoint information for each route. Check out their website atwww.adventurecycling.org

BICYCLE TRAVEL BY CREDIT CARDTHE (SUPER LIGHT) VERSION

Traveling by credit card necessitates having laundry facilitiesat each overnight location (or asking the manager to let house-keeping clean your clothing for you). If you end up washing yourclothes in the sink in your room, you can speed up the dryingprocess by laying the wet clothes on a flat towel, then rolling themup together so that all of the surfaces are in contact with eachother. Then sit on the roll to press the moisture out of the clothesand into the towel. By morning they’ll be much dryer than if yousimply hang them up.

After arriving at our overnight location, we would immediate-ly change into our river shorts (which doubled as swim wear), puton our shoes, without socks, and then we would put on our wind-breakers without a shirt underneath and throw all of our soiled

riding gear in the washing machine. After dinner, we’d move theclothes to the dryer and wait patiently for them to be ready to putback on.

We’ve used various racks with top packs, and backpacks forshorter trips, but settled on using the Jandd MountaineeringMountain Wedge III seat pack because it carried the weight clos-er to the center of the bicycle and didn’t affect the bicycle’s han-dling on fast curving roads like having the weight centered overthe rear wheel does. Keeping that thought in mind, we used large,wide-mouth water bottles (with straight walls), to keeps items likevests, knee warmers, arm warmers and windbreakers close athand. We used Camelback Rockets for our water needs, reason-ing that the weight would be reduced as we traveled, rather thancarrying the dead weight of clothing all day.

Notes: Roll your clothes to make them fit better. Put your jack-et or vest and knee warmers in water bottles for easy access.Don’t carry a wallet (use a small Zip-loc instead), or at least emptyit except for necessary items. Put toiletries in a small Zip-loc.

www.dedaelementi.com

THE SHAPE OF MODERN CYCLING

riotago.com

Deda Elementi introduces RHM Rapid Hand Movement, concept, handlebar designed to improve the quick chan-ges of handle position: more quickly from “upper” position to “on the ends” position. Riders are evolving; so are bikes; so are handlebars.Patent design Continuous Incremental Ra-dius, to overcome the limits of anatomic shape, which allows you to hold the handle-bar in only one position.

STEM ZERO100Material: tempered light alloyLengths: 80-90-100-110-120-130-140 mmWeight: about 107 grams

ROAD HANDLEBAR ZERO100Material: strong 7075 T6 triple butted alloyWidths: 40-42-44-46 cm (outside to outside)Drop: 128 mmReach: 75 mmWeight: about 242 grams

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VANCOUVER TO TIJUANA

Here’s our packing list:Miscellaneous

• Map (Adventure Cycling Association)www.adventurecycling.org

• Credit cards—two• Discount cards (AAA, AARP)• Passport• Driver’s license• ATM card• Cash

Clothing• Mountain bike shoes• Socks• River (runner) shorts (swimming trunks)• Bike shorts• Knee warmers• Arm warmers• Short-sleeve jersey• Long-sleeve Poly Pro (with zip neck)• Nylon vest (vented back)• Nylon windbreaker (If necessary, cut the armpit and back seams for

ventilation.)• Gloves• Possible raincoat (or large trash bag)• Helmet

Gear• Sunglasses (Bring clear and yellow lenses for the deep forests.)• Watch• Rear view mirror• Tail lights (We used two: one on the back of the helmet and one on

the seat pack.)• Headlight• Cell phone and charger• Camera and charger (AA version is better)• Cycle computer• Shift cable (rear)• Brake cable (rear)• Tubes–two• Patch kit• Folding spare tire (Fold it tightly and stuff it in an old sock to keep it

compact.)• Large mouth water bottles—two (For clothing, the big green

Gatorade bottles work well.) • Camelback (for water)• Jandd Mountain Wedge lll Seat Pack (or rack mounted pack—slight-

ly affects handling and slightly heavier)• Bungee cord (to tighten the pack to the seat rails)• Mini tool with chain breaker• Small Swiss Army knife with scissors• Cable lock• Pump (Topeak Road Morph G with gauge is best) www.topeak.com•

Chain lube

Toiletries• Bag Balm (put it in a screw-top travel jar)• Razor• Toothbrush (child’s size)• Toothpaste (travel size)• Deodorant (travel size)• Ear plugs (your friends probably snore–I do)• Anti-inflammatory pills (Advil, Aleeve)

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BLOODBROTHERS

(AND SISTERS)

BLOODBROTHERS

(AND SISTERS)

By Brad RoePhotos: Marco Quzada

Their goal is to get a rider with Type 1 diabetesinto the Tour de France by 2012 and to show

kids and adults all around the world that withproper management, diabetes should not stopanyone from pursuing dreams—Especially if

that dream is racing a bike for a living.


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51Road Bike Action

My first glimpse of the strength of Team Type 1’s PhilSoutherland came not when I heard his story of beingdiagnosed at seven months old with Type 1 diabetes and

given a death sentence, or when I met him at Team Type 1’s campin Solvang, but when I read his response on his blog to an anony-mous comment about the team’s invitation into the 2009 Tour ofCalifornia.


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BLOOD BROTHERSBLOOD BROTHERS

Anonymous: “What you’re doing as far as spreading a mes-sage for diabetics is great. But you have no right to be in a racelike TOC. You have no results that should make you pro.Remember, this is a professional sport, not a charity. Do some-thing on the bike that will change my mind. Not as a diabetic, butas a cyclist.”

Phil: “Last I checked, I was on the start line with a numberpinned to my jersey, which technically gives me ’the right’ to be in

THE NUMBERSThere are 23.6 million children and adults in the United

States (7.8 percent of the population) who have diabetes.

the race. On some level, you are right. In the last five years I haveno results. In fact, I have barely raced. Five years before, I raced,got plenty of results, and for what? The work has been done, andwith the goal of group health insurance for people with diabetes,so that the next 20-year-old with diabetes thinking about going toEurope can do it without question.”

Touche. He could have said more, but didn’t.

Mr. Anonymous obviously didn’t watch the horde of profes-sional riders drop off the back at the TOC, including former Tourcontenders and hugely famous European pros, not to mentionmost domestic riders. The Tour of California was for PhilSoutherland, and the majority of the field, about hanging on for

dear life. Phil made it five stages, which was above average. Theweather was horrendous, and sickness riddled the peloton to thepoint where many teams only had one or two riders in the laststage. For Phil Southerland and Team Type 1, the race was moreabout exposure than victory.

“It’s my goal that everyone in the world knows about TeamType 1 or Team Type 2. My dream in life is that I wake up one dayand no one goes blind from diabetes. 150-200 people go blindevery day. If you make small adjustments you can avoid the com-plications that come from this disease. The pro teams are a greatavenue for that.”

THE GOALSPhil Southerland is 26 years old. He has given himself 60,000

injections of insulin and checked his blood sugar 120,000 times.The past five years he has worked 95-hour weeks with JoeAldridge to make Team Type 1 a reality. It all started when hewas diagnosed at seven months old with Type 1 and the doctors

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WHAT IS TYPE 1 DIABETES?Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and

young adults and was previously known as juvenile diabetes.In Type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin. Insulinis a hormone that is needed to convert sugar (glucose),starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. Inpeople with Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas no longer makesinsulin. The beta cells have been destroyed. They need insulinshots in order to use glucose from meals. (American DiabetesAssociation)

WHAT IS TYPE 2 DIABETES?Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. In

Type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enoughinsulin or the cells ignore the insulin. Insulin is necessary forthe body to be able to use glucose for energy. When you eatfood, the body breaks down all of the sugars and starchesinto glucose, which is the basic fuel for the cells in the body.Insulin takes the sugar from the blood into the cells. Whenglucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, itcan cause two problems: Right away, your cells may bestarved for energy. Over time, high blood glucose levels mayhurt your eyes, kidneys, nerves or heart. (American DiabetesAssociation)

told his mom he wouldn’t make it. “Back in the day, the insulin andthe technology were pre-historic relative to today. And at the time,no research had been done to show the benefits of good control,so they were being honest. I am grateful they said it, as it wasmotivation for both my mother and me to beat the odds, which Idid.”

Setting goals has always been a part of Phil’s life and allowedhim to reach levels of success that even surprise him. “The goal isthe Tour de France by 2012. I don’t care if it is me, Fabio, Willem,or some new talent with Type 1 who is there, so long as weachieve the goal. Reaching people with diabetes to motivate themto take control to achieve their dreams is my number one passion.I began setting goals at six years old (keep my eyesight) and bust-ed my butt to achieve them. Now, I just get to set/achieve goalsknowing it is going to help a lot of people.”


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there is a quiet humility which comes across as Southern charm.After prompting him a few times about his favorite win, we got tosome of the fire in his belly: “The 2003 SEC Crit champs. I wasticked at the start, lapped the field solo, then won the sprint. MetJoe right afterwards. Rest is history.”

Now that the structure of the team is set and the funding is inplace, we wanted to find out if Phil can go back to his race-win-ning days in 2009: “I want to win a race. I want to help the teamget more comfortable on a higher level, and I want to get back tomy winning ways of five years ago. I have a great team of man-agement, racers and staff all helping to make that possible.”

That passion doesn’t come without setbacks, as anyone famil-iar with Type 1 diabetes will attest. “I was at the RAS race in 2002,and on the third day I bonked badly. I wasn’t able to get enoughfood in that night and did too much insulin. The next morning Iwoke my teammate Daniel Holt up by smacking him. I was stand-ing, but seizing. Luckily I had told him, as well as all my friends,what to do in case of emergency. He forced me to eat and thencheck my blood sugar, which at the time was 16 (the lowest I haveever seen—near death.) Needless to say, the next few days of therace were very tough, but I got through them and learned a valu-

able lesson.”

And then there’sthis edge about PhilSoutherland and JoeAldridge, the wholeteam actually. Theyseem to embody thedrive and determina-tion it takes to notonly manage dia-betes, but to win bikeraces while manag-ing diabetes andwant to get that mes-sage across to kids:“I want them to knowthat if they control it,it will NEVER holdthem back. In 27

years, I have never said ’no’ because of diabetes, and I don’t thinkanyone should have to. I make a lot of small adjustments so I cansay yes. Whatever it is you want to do better (work, race, family,diabetes) a few small lifestyle adjustments can probably help.”

THE ORGANIZATIONPhil has teamed up with the well-known Tom Schuler to take

Team Type 1 to the next level. Tom represented the U.S. at the1976 and 1980 Olympics, was the 1987 National Road RaceChampion, raced for the venerable Team 7-Eleven, and directedTeam Saturn from 1999-2003. “Tom is a master at finding goodpeople to help the programgrow. When I was beginningto tell people the teamwould turn pro, a goodfriend introduced us. Weworked on the funding for1.5 years before the teamactually came to fruition.What most people don’tknow about Tom is that he isa big-time family man. Hehas a wonderful wife andfour great kids. He nevermisses a beat when it comesto being dad and still helpsus rock out in the racingworld,” says Phil.

Tom Schuler has beenaround racing for a longtime and can obviously spot talent when he sees it. He says, “Twoingredients to being a successful athlete, and specifically a suc-cessful cyclist, are to be able to dream it and not be afraid ofattempting anything to reach your dream. Both Phil and Joe pos-sess these traits of success. As much as physical talents, whichboth Phil and Joe possess, the other two attributes are imperativefor athletic success.”

Tom hopes to manage the team to help reach their goal andsays, “In both 2009 and 2010, we hope to move the team in incre-mental steps towards our ultimate goal of getting an athlete withType 1 diabetes into the Tour de France.”

THE PASSIONAfter a conversation or two with Phil Southerland, it is clear

TEAM TYPE 1 IS MADE UP OF 7 TEAMSPro Men: 15 professional riders with four riders having Type

1 diabetesPro Women: Eight professional riders with two riders having

Type 1 diabetesTriathlon Team: All ten members have Type 1 (Cliff Scherb

on the team has qualified to race in Kona)Elite Team: The Elite Team is made up of only Type 1 riders,

and this team prepared for the RAAM event as well as racingroad, mountain and cyclocross events.

Development Team: This team feeds the Pro Team and ismade up of all Type 1 riders

Team Type 2: All racers have Type 2 diabetes, and their goalis focusing on competing in the RAAM in the eight-person cate-gory.

FOLLOW THE TEAMIf you or someone in your family is touched by diabetes,

Team Type 1 is a great organization to follow and root for.You can access them at:

www.teamtype1.orgwww.twitter.com/teamtype1http://teamtype12007.blogspot.com/http://philsoutherland.blogspot.com/

Phil checks his blood sugar level at the start of the Tour of California.

55Road Bike Action

THE REAL RACEAs I sat down to write this story on Phil and the team, a friend

called to tell me that Phil had come up just short of his first pro-fessional win of the 2009 season at the Georgia Cup Road Race.He avoided a crash with 500 meters to go, slipped a pedal, recov-ered and sprinted to second place. “I was a little down on myselfafter California and Taiwan,” Phil said, “so to come out hereagainst an aggressive local field and get a good result is good formy morale. It also makes me eager to transfer that success to anational level and get some results in the bigger races.”

Quick note to Mr. Anonymous from above. How do you likethem apples? Add that to 45 wins in their first season and, as ofearly April 2009, 19 wins for Team Type 1 in the pro ranks. Theyshould have been at the Tour of California in 2009 and should bethere again in 2010. Not because they have diabetes, butbecause they’ve earned it.

There’s a little kid I know pretty well who is almost six years oldand bears my last name who has Type 1 diabetes. He hopes Phil pullsoff a win this year in a bike race. If Phil doesn’t get that win, however,it won’t really matter. There are thousands of little kids like my sonwho will still cheer on the courage, passion and determination of PhilSoutherland and his quest to get a rider with Type 1 into the Tour deFrance by 2012.

We will both make the trip over to France to cheer that rider on.

TOUR DE CUREThe American Diabetes Association puts on cycling

events in 40 states every year as a way to raise money tofind the cure for diabetes. A member of Team Type 1 willattend at least 40 of these races to help educate, sign auto-graphs and participate in these great events. To learn moreand to take part in one in your state, go to tour.diabetes.org.

THE SPONSORSTeam Type 1 is fortunate to be helped by Lantus, Apidra,

Freestyle, Omni-Pod, Dex4, Orbea, Louis-Garneau, Shimano, K-Swiss, Continental, Cat-Eye, Finish Line, DeFeet, Albabici, ParkTool, Timex, Thule, Nuun, Genuine Innovations and others.

THE DOCUMENTARY: “ONE SHOT”Vox Pop films is documenting the team’s journey to the

TDF in 2012 and has already produced an amazing trailer.The producer, Lisa Hepnner, is very motivated to tell the Type1 story and follow their journey to the Tour de France.According to Phil, they are hoping to have trailers releasedevery year. You can view the trailer at http://www.voxpop-films.tv/oneshot

BLOOD BROTHERSBLOOD BROTHERS

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Photos by: John Ker

T he TCR name is not a new one in the lexicon of Giant road bikes. But for2009, it might as well be. After a five-year play with similar models andtechnology, the top-of-the-line road bikes are all-new for this year. And to

help prove the point, Giant went out and hired the powerhouse Dutch Rabobankteam to show off their wares in the Pro peloton.

There are five different models within the TCR Advanced SL family, from thetop-of-the-line LTD model (pushed to an unfathomable $13,500 price due to theShimano Di2 drivetrain) to the $4200 SL 1 (which uses the same frame, butwithout the integrated seat mast). We tested the mid-priced TCR SL 0, which canbe found on the showroom floor for just over $7000.

THE FRAMEWe first saw the new Giant at their press launch last summer in Mallorca.

We were immediately impressed with the frame design and technology. In aworld of over-the-top, origami-shaped frame tubes, the TCR frame stands apartwith its more straight-forward, yet still massive, oversized frame sections. Fromthe rectangular Mega-Drive down tube to the 86mm-wide Powercore bottombracket and 1.125 inch tapered Overdrive head tube, it’s obvious that the TCRframe was designed to be stiff from front to back. There is some similarity withother bikes at the seat tube/top tube junction, where the former looks to piercethe latter.

As the world’s biggest bike maker, you’d guess that Giant would have somecutting-edge manufacturing at their disposal. They do, and most of it can befound within their C-Tech factory, where all the carbon fiber R&D gets done.Giant uses a fusion process, where the frame endures a second round of moldtime after the tubes have already been molded and co-wrapped together. Frameconstruction is first rate. With its compact frame design available in seven differ-ent sizes (XS-XXL), there is undoubtedly a frame to fit every consumer.

bike test


GIANTTCRTCR

The race bike even non-racers will loveThe race bike even non-racers will love

ADVANCED SL 0

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Road Bike Action 57


The 86-millimeter wide Powercore bot-tom bracket provides a stiff founda-tion.

Two seat clamps are available; onethat offers 20mm of vertical adjust-ment and one that provides 40mm.

giantRBA

THE PARTSOn a bike that celebrates carbon so

well, the flat-black aluminum FSA stemseems a tad on the utilitarian side, especial-ly for a bike in this price range. Of course,the reality is, more often than not, an alu-minum stem is lighter than a carbon stem—maybe by just a coat of gloss black paint.

As for the rest of the bike, there is noshortage of glamour. You’ll find a full SramRed group, Fizik bar tape and Arione sad-dle. Most enamoring of all are the Zipp404 clincher wheels mounted withMichelin Pro 3 tires. But for as svelte as the404 wheels ultimately are, we remain per-plexed by the big Zipp quick-release skew-ers. Like castoffs from a mountain bike,they seem out of place.

THE VERDICTThere’s really not much to say about

the Giant’s ride, beyond, well, let’ssee...how should we put it? How about sim-ply amazing. This is a hotrod race bike thatoozes performance from the first pedalstroke. Test riders were left gushing andpointed to three main players: 1. The Zipps.Everybody loves them. 2. The stout frameconstruction. Owing to the oversized fronttriangle, the SL 0 tracks straight and true.Point it to the apex of a turn and it executesyour command flawlessly without com-plaint. 3. The integrated seat post. Yeah,

still a bit to get used to for setup, but asstiff as the frame is beneath you, the ISP(along with the rear triangle) deliversenough comfort to provide the perfectmix of crit-level stiffness and all-day ridecomfort.

Simply put, the all new TCR Advancedis one of the best bikes we’ve ridden.

Price: $7300Weight: 14.8 poundsContact: www.giant-bikes.com

Ads_2.indd 24 4/22/09 3:27:10 PM


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ship with the staff at that shop so that if you are in a bind, theymay be inclined to help you out late on a Friday afternoon whenyou had planned to do a race Saturday morning.

4 Carry three gels. One isn’t enough, and three will allowfor the inevitable extension of a great ride. Additionally, there isnothing better than reaping the humanitarian reward of feedinga friend in need.

5 Have more than one bike, but make sure that one of themis a commuter/townie bike with flat pedals and not one ounce ofpeloton panache. The more of a beater look it has, the more

EVERY ROADIE SHOULD KNOWEVERY ROADIE SHOULD KNOW

By the RBA Staff

102 TIPS

Tips are a dime a dozen. These should beenough to get you a cup of coffee

102 TIPS

1 Start with the most basic. Ride your bike as often as pos-sible. Tell your friends and family to do the same. Tell a stranger.

2 As with most sporting activities, technique is everything.Turning at speed seems to be a major scare factor for most of us.Find a good section of twisties with both tight and falling awayturns and practice braking and counter steering. For wider, arcingturns, practice your lean angles and pedaling through them.

3 Find a shop that offers good service, has a knowledge-able staff, and stocks the products that you need. Buy your bikefrom the store that you want to service the bike. Build a relation-

P robably more than any othersport, cycling breeds anexpertise mentality whereby

the wholly subjective is oftenespoused as the entirely objective.There are at least six million tips per-taining to cycling that on any givenday might be told to you as much toimprove your cycling experience as tomake the person telling them feel likea two-wheeled sage.

Regardless, tips are tips, and we’vecompiled a handy list of 102 of themfrom which we’re sure even the mostexperienced cyclist will be able toglean some useful information.

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61Road Bike Action

inclined you will be to use it around town without fear of scratch-es, dents or thieves.

6 Our favorite conflicting tire installation tips: One schoolsays to start at the valve so for that last bit of bead wrangling thevalve won’t be a conflicting player. The other school has it thatyou should start opposite from the tube to provide as much “beadslack” as possible. Either way, as you roll the tire on, make surethe bead is sitting in the center-most part of the rim channel toprovide optimum slack. And remember, no matter the snobs whoeschew tire irons as some feeble tool for the feeble-minded, it’salways good to carry one due to the manufacturing variances intire sizes and their growing penchant for using tighter dimensionsfor liability reasons.

7 An important inflation tip, especially if you’re using a C02cartridge, is to inflate carefully and not all at once. You want tomake sure that the tire bead is seated evenly on both sides of therim, so inflate in stages.

8 Everyone knows that the only way to become faster is toride with someone faster than yourself. On those days when youcan’t find any fast friends to pedal with, head out anyway andpurposefully try and catch anyone you see in front of you.Whether it’s an old lady on a cruiser wearing knee-high tubesocks or the local time trial champ, make the effort to catch andpass them. Whether you do or not is beside the point. It’s allabout expending the effort and making yourself stronger andfaster—even when you’re riding by yourself.

9 So you’ve decided to start cycling again and you justbought a new bike, but you tell the dealer that you don’t need tobuy a helmet because you still have a barely used Giro ProLightyou bought after Greg LeMond won the Tour in 1989. Not smart.The foam used in bicycle helmets has a three-year life span, soalthough the 15-year-old helmet may still look new, the foamwon’t do the job.

10 Plan ahead and help yourself stay committed by writ-ing down your desired workouts so that you consider them impor-tant and necessary, much like you would do if you had a dentistappointment.

11 When you transport your bike on a rack on the exteri-or of your vehicle, always remove your computer, Powertap,Garmin, etc., as these expensive devices might not always makeit to your destination. They are designed to be on your bike at rid-ing speeds, not at 70 mph down the interstate.

12 As important as the measurement of your saddleheight is, don’t forget about the distance from your front axle tothe center of your handlebars. While the move to more uprightpositioning is understandable, the higher your handlebars are offthe ground, the more adverse effect it has on your cornering.

13 If the temperature is under 65 degrees, don’t leavehome without a plastic grocery bag to act as a handy undershirton the descents. It easily packs in your pocket and is 1/10 the sizeof a vest.

14 Run your brake pads as far away from the rims as youcan without compromising stopping performance. Wheels flexwildly when you are climbing, accelerating and sprinting—whichdrives the rims against the brake pads, causing brake drag whenyou need it the least. Brake makers use silent pad material tomask this problem.

15 Don’t slag people riding aluminum, titanium or steelbikes, or worse, people who don’t shave their legs.

16 Remember that 70 percent of your stopping powercomes from the front brake.

17 The most common cause of poor shifting is a stretchedcable. Fortunately, derailleurs have small adjustment barrels. Ifthe derailleur is hesitating shifting toward the spokes, turn thebarrel toward the spokes in 1/4-turn increments until the shiftingoccurs with each click. Do the opposite if the derailleur is hesitat-ing shifting away from the spokes.

18 Experience new frontiers of cycling. The two best waysare to participate in a group/charity ride and to take a cyclingvacation (preferably in Europe if you really know what’s good foryou).

19 Cornering in the rain can be especially tricky. Keep asmuch of your weight on the outside pedal as possible, and keepthe bike as upright as you can so that your body leans more thanthe bike.


20 Oil that you can see on the chain is useless. Mostcyclists over oil their chains. Put one drop in the inside of the chainacross the barrel so the oil also contacts the inside of the sideplates. Work the chain lube into the pins and bushings by spin-ning the cranks slowly for a minute or so, and then wipe off everybit of oil from the chain and sprockets. Oil inside the chain pro-vides lubrication—oil on the outside attracts dirt and wears outthe drivetrain. Oh yeah, don’t lube the chain right before you ride.Do it the evening before to allow time for it enter the chain, evap-orate, harden and dry.

21 Always eat three hours prior to your start time, or youmight be eating the same breakfast twice. Speaking of pre-race/ride breakfast, here’s a quick and easy suggestion: beat twoeggs in a bowl, add a dash of milk and microwave for two min-utes. Add a small handful of pasta, (we choose penne), add oliveoil and Parmesan cheese. Don’t forget your pre-race carb/proteindrink on the drive to the race.

22 If you know you will be eating on the fly, there’s noth-ing worse than swerving around trying to open a Powerbar.Always pre-open the nutritional items you carry in your jersey. Itmakes it quick and safe.

23 Don’t forget to check chain wear. Start by putting aslight bit of pressure on the pedals to tension the chain. Then holda ruler against the chain. On a new chain, the distance of 12 fulllinks, pin to pin, is 12 inches. If 12 links on your chain measure 12-1/8 inch or more, then it is time for a new chain. If you replaceyour chain on a regular basis, you will get longer wear out of yourchainrings and cassette cogs.

24 If you just went out and bought that set of carbonwheels you’ve always dreamed about, do yourself, and the rims,a favor by making sure you run carbon-specific brake pads.

25 Few things are as environmentally irresponsible andculturally distasteful as the tube snob who throws away a tubeafter every flat. Don’t underestimate patched tubes—they are justas strong as a new tube, as long as you use a quality patch (RBAdoes not recommend glueless patches) and it is properly applied.

26 Your cleat position is important. Before you put newones on (and they should be replaced if cleat/pedal interplay hasdeteriorated), take a marker and outline the edges of the old onesfor a placement pattern for the new ones.

27 If you never ride for more than an hour, save the extrawater and weight and just run a single bottle.

28-31 All the latest cable-operated shifting systemsfrom SRAM, Campy and Shimano now run the shifter cablesunder the handlebar tape. The first 250-300mm of shifter housingis a combination of extreme bends that, if not set up properly, canresult in much greater friction and decreased life of the shifterhousing and cables. Greater care needs to be taken to make surethat the shifting is smooth and precise. The following three tipswill help to make sure that your shifting is smooth, fast and pre-cise:

(29) The shifters from all three companies offer alter-nate routing of cables as they exit the shifter. One option routesthe cable housing in front of the bar, and the other routes the

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Road Bike Action

cables straight out of the back of the shifter and towards the backof the bar. In all cases, the straight shot out the back of the shifterto the rear of the bar will result in the fewest kinks and thesmoothest shifting possible. Unfortunately, most bikes comeassembled in the front location, because it looks a little cleanerunder the bar tape. In this case, it is far better to forgo the slightfashion gain for faster, more precise shifting.

(30) Next, as the housing exists from under the han-dlebar to be routed to the downtube, the traditional method hasbeen to route the right side shifter housing to the right side of thedowntube. This produces a sharp bend in the housing as it exitsfrom under the bar tape, decreases turning radius before thecables bind, and creates housing rub against the side of the bike’shead tube. Route theright side shifter housingto the left side of thedowntube (it will followthe same path as therear brake cable), andthen route the left sideshifter housing to theright side of the down-tube. The shifter cableswill need to cross eachother mid way down thedowntube in an X pat-tern in order to reachtheir proper location oneach side of the bottombracket. This routing willresult in much smootherarcs to the housing, lessfriction, and no rubbingor slapping of the shifter housing on the sides of the head tube.

(31) Lubrication: Even though shifter housings areTeflon-lined and most high-end cables have some sort of friction-reducing finish, you can’t beat the shifting performance that canbe achieved with lubrication. In our experience, nothing worksbetter then Buzz’s Slick Honey. This is the standard for bicycle sus-pension rebuilds and is also the ultimate cable lubrication. It isvery light, very slippery, and doesn’t attract dirt like most high-tack lubricants. It is available in a syringe and in small or largecontainers at just about any high-end shop. It’s the finishing touchin the quest for perfect shifting!

32 When riding in the rain, if you lower the air pressure inyour tires you will create a larger contact patch that will providemore traction.

33 Remember, different shoes have a different stackheight and can throw your seat height off. So, if you are a multi-pair owner, remember to always measure.

34 Clean and check your bike the day before a race tomake sure everything is working. Soap and water, a sponge, anda few small brushes make short work of the washing portion.Check over the small bolts to make sure they are snug, go through

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102 TIPS102 TIPSthe gears, and lube the chain. Having peace of mind prior tostarting a race allows you to focus on performing to your fullpotential.

35 If you are just starting to commute, plan your bikeroute by first driving it and doing some basic recon. What’s theshortest/easiest route? Which route has the better road condi-tions? Are there any bike stores en route? Donut shops? Get famil-iar with the street names so that in case you need to get pickedup you can give easy directions.

36 The one tip we tell everyone (but don’t always followourselves) is to always unclip one foot and plant it at a stop sign,even if it’s brief. Rolling stop signs gives us all a bad name.

37 Owing to themore specialized equip-ment, always test your TTequipment prior to raceday. From the differentpositioning to the warmerhelmets and TT specificsaddles, you want to be asfamiliar with your setup aspossible. Bonus TT tip:Don’t be afraid to run acog-set with a 26 or evenbigger gear. Even the besttime trialers know that thenumber one rule of a suc-cessful effort is to neverhave to shift out of the bigring.

38 On a group ride, it is easy to lose focus and overlapwheels with the rider in front of you. Back off a bit; it will save yousome pavement time. Keep your eyes ahead of the rider in frontof you as well. Your bike will follow your eyes, so look up.

39 A good road racer knows how to ride bored and do aslittle work as possible while accusing others of not working.Always fear the racer who says he hasn’t been riding much buthas the tan lines of George Hamilton.

40 Everyone has their own reasons why they ride (best evi-denced by our supremely entertaining and motivating Why WeRide section, (see page 28). For many of us, cycling is simply away to maintain a healthy lifestyle. For some, it’s all about com-petition. No matter why or how you ride, if you’re not bringing abig dose of fun and adventure to your two-wheeled experience,you need to reprogram your efforts.

41 Not all tire inflators and C02 cartridges are designedto work together. Before you ride, make sure that you have a work-able system.

42When changing your pedals, play it safe by putting thechain in the big ring to avoid running your knuckles or forearmacross the exposed sharp teeth.

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43 If you have not been riding a lot, you might lower thesaddle five to ten millimeters to make up for some lost flexibility.Crank it back up to full height in a month of riding, after your legshave relaxed back into fitness.

44We saved the most important tip of all for #44. Do yourpart to increase the sense of community among cyclists by wav-ing to every rider you ride past—and that includes the bus boyswho are commuting to work on their beater mountain bikes.

45 If you’re the type of rider who can’t seem to wave backto fellow cyclists who are waving at you, here’s a tip—go play golf!

46 Find out the difference between pedaling “harder” andpedaling “quicker.” Whereas the former might help out for short,out-of-the-saddle, uphill sprints, the latter will make you a betterand faster rider.

47 When crossing railroad tracks, try to cross at as muchof an angle as possible. Do your adjustment prior to the track, notwhile riding over it, as they can be very slippery and usually sur-rounded by uneven pavement.

48 While everyone knows to check their air pressurebefore each ride (right?), also check to see that your skewers aretight. Before every other ride, be sure to perform a one-minute,

102 TIPS102 TIPSpre-ride safety check that includes checking the stem, brake,chainring, seatpost, saddle and water bottle bolts.

49 If you ride through glass, reach down and drag a fin-ger across the tires to keep the debris from lodging in your tires.Make sure you have a glove on, and make sure you wipe the fronttire in front of the fork. And when you do the rear, use extremecaution and try to hold a seat stay to protect your hand frombeing pulled into the rear wheel/seat stay junction.

50When riding in a group, avoid being the serial pointer—the rider who points to everything from a fallen leaf to a discard-ed sofa. Not everything lying on the road is worthy of grabbingeveryone’s attention when they’re pedaling hard with their headsdown.

51 Eat before you’re hungry and drink before you’rethirsty.

52 Make sure you know what purpose you are buying abike for. Each person is a unique customer and has differentneeds. If you are looking to race the local training criterium series,your bike should be different from the bike of the rider who isinterested in doing a cross-state tour with his gear attached.Typically, a hardcore racer would be looking for a bike with asteeper head angle than a recreational/touring cyclist woulddesire.

53 When you’re behind the wheel, don’t become the typeof car driver you dread and curse when you’re riding your bike.

54 Knee warmers should end just below the knee and notgo all the way down to your ankles. If they do, they are leg warm-ers. Pull ’em up. Arm warmers go under your jersey. Pull them upfarther than you need, then overlap the jersey. No skin shouldshow.

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55 Changing your bike position should be done beforeyour serious training season gets under way so that you can grad-ually get accustomed to these changes. Once you dial in yourposition, you should duplicate that position on all of your bikes ofthat style (road bikes for racing and training, for example). Makesure you take all of the key measurements and write them down.If you ever buy a new bike or crash your existing one and need toborrow another bike, you should be able to duplicate your posi-tion perfectly on that borrowed or new bike. Don’t think you canset up the new bike by feel. A tape measure and plumb line areall you need, and the new bike should fit exactly the same as theold one.

56 Always leave an extra wheel between you and the riderin front of you when you think he is going to go from sitting tostanding. At best he will stall momentarily, at worst he will rollbackwards. Be prepared.

57 When their feet get hot spots or feel like they are blis-tering, people tend to loosen their shoes. They should actually betightening them to stop the chafing.

58 Eat lightly and often if your ride or race is longer thanan hour—every 30 minutes, or 45 minutes at the max. If you eathalf a bar or a single gel, you’ll digest your nourishment easilyand there will always be room for water in your stomach.

59 Don’t overdress. Dress for the race, not the stagingarea. Although morning starts can be uncomfortable when youare sitting on the line, you actually need to err on the side of beingcold when you start, because once you get going, you will likelywarm up to a perfect temp and soon be overheated.

102 TIPS102 TIPS

60 There once was a well-liked mountain bike racer, whobesides being ridiculed for not shaving his legs, was also scornedfor wearing tall black socks. Despite such obvious character flaws,Colorado’s Dave Wiens would go on to not only win a NationalXC Championship, but he also tooled Lance at the Leadville 100.Oh yeah, happen to notice Lance rockin’ the black socks thesedays?

61 It’s not just a fashion thing, or a way to get you tospend money on more expensive clothing, it’s just good advice. Ifyou plan to start riding for more than two hours (heck, even onehour), run with bib shorts.

62 You may think they look cool, you may think they’ll makeyou ride faster, but if you’re just starting out, take our advice andavoid slapping the aero bar extensions on straight away. The biggestreasons are twofold: 1. Safety. The slower response time for hittingthe brakes when you’re stretched out can make all the differencewhen coming to a quick stop if a car, child or errant soccer ball rollsout in front of you. 2. Safety. The handling characteristics changedramatically when your hands are out in front of the front axle.

63 Not a big deal, but if it’s chilly out, put your arm warm-ers on before your jersey so that the sleeves slide right up andover without any hassle.

64 When you’re not riding follow RBA on Twitter @road-bikeaction. Our own Bob Roll now has a Twitter account, and hisdaily musing are well worth the shame of being a Twit: @bobkeroll

65 Few things are as enjoyable as showing up at thegroup ride with a new pair of shoes. However, leave the Imelda

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Marcos syndrome behind until you’ve done at least three short rides by yourself to getyour feet used to the shoes. It’s almost inevitable that a new pair of shoes will initially pro-duce irritating and painful hot spots and there is nothing worse than suffering this agonyin the first hour of a five-hour epic.

66 You’ve probably already heard the one about putting chunks of your Powerbaron the stem so you can eat easily in the heat of battle. Another race and ecology-inspiredtip for in-the-saddle food prep is to just slightly tear a gel pack before you ride and placethe half-torn open flap under the lid of your water bottle. When you need to eat, a slighttug of the gel pack should open it fully, leaving the tab stuck under the lid where it canbe properly disposed of after the ride.

67 If you are properly hydrated and nourished beforehand, you can ride hard forone hour without food or water. Practice high-intensity training without on-the-bike refuel-ing and then use this informa-tion for time trials, criteriumsand cyclocross races, where theintensity of the event may pre-clude eating and drinking.

68 Try something new:Visit www.roadbikeaction.comand realize that Cyclingnewsand Velo News are great sites,but there is a new player in townwith compelling, up-to-date racecoverage, plenty of productreviews, plus some personalitythrown in.

69 Depending on thedesign of each, you can usuallystore your riding glasses by flip-ping them upside-down andinserting them into the widervents of your helmet.

70 Having good friendsto ride with is a good thing.Letting them get the upper handon you over the climbs is not.When nearing a climb on agroup ride, remember to startthinking about a useful strategyand not the inevitable suffering. Just as you approach the base, shift into a higher gearto get a short, last-ditch boost of momentum. Find the balance between climbing efficient-ly and keeping a good pace by staying in a taller gear for as long as possible. Downshiftsshould be done smoothly, not at the point of desperation. Just when you get to the top ofthe climb and want nothing more than to sit up and backpedal for a rest, downshift onemore time and keep pedaling. Building strength is fun, but not as much fun as it is todemoralize your friends.

71 If you’re not vying for the criterium national title, don’t bother running light-weight 700x21 (and below) tires, which are far more prone to flat than heavier-duty700x23 (and above) tires.

72 Remember that even with all the anti-flat technology in the world, nothing willprevent flats better than rider control. Keep an eye on the road surface almost as muchas you keep an eye on what’s up ahead.

102 TIPS102 TIPS

73 For a pre-race meal, find some-thing that is repeatable and easy to haveaccess to, regardless of where you are orwhat time of day your race is. One popu-lar menu item is oatmeal mixed with a lit-tle peanut butter and fruit. These are easyto travel with ingredients that you canhave with you no matter what part of theworld you are in. All you need is some hotwater to complete the cooking and makeit edible. Great source of energy and easyto digest.

74 In a race, as in a hard trainingride, pick your battles. The race is not wonin the first 70 percent, just lost. Be honestabout your strengths. The guy who alwayswins rarely comes out to play until theend, and he usually still has fresh legs.

75 When riding in the rain, planahead in regards to when you are turningor braking, and be attentive to obstaclesthat may not normally be a problem in dryconditions. Metal sewer covers and whitecrosswalk paint become extremely slickwhen they are wet, regardless of how fastor slow you are going. Remember thatyour brakes won’t work as well when theyare wet either, so it will take a little moretime to slow down or stop.

76 It’s an unspoken rule that youdon’t show up without fenders for a groupride in the rain. If you are riding in the rainon a regular basis, adding rain flaps thatgo all the way down (almost two inchesoff the ground) help keep you dry regard-

less of the conditions. For cheap and durable rain flaps, cut down old water bottles andbolt them to the base of the fender.

77 The best way to encourage other people to start (and enjoy) cycling is for youto go out and do some intro rides with them. To make the experience helpful (and enjoy-able), do not ride away from them on the first climb. Learn to hold back.

78 Make sure you can drop your heels in a pedal stroke without rocking your bumside to side. If Mr. Bum rocks, your seat has to come down. If you run your seat too high,your bum will let you know.

79 After installing new cleats on your shoes and getting used to their springaction, be sure to retighten them.

80 If and when you do decide to take a turn at the front, the number one rule isto make sure you have enough energy to actually pull it off and keep pedaling. Do not getto the front, tire and stop pedaling—or you will ride alone, friendless.

81 If you’re riding out of a hotel room and it looks like there might be inclementweather, don’t forget to take along the in-house shower cap as a just-in-case helmet cover.Sure, you’ll look odd, but nothing beats potential cold better than a warm, dry head.

82 Train for what your goals are, not what your friend’s goals are. If you are train-ing for a 100-mile century and your friend is training for a 15-mile time trial, you eachneed to train differently.

83 With today’s vogue, deep-dish wheels, do you ever wonder what that clickingnoise is every wheel rotation? It’s the valve extender clicking against the wheel. Use awrap of electrical tape around the Presta valve to tighten the tolerance between thePresta valve and rim and the noise will be gone. Maybe that’s why Schraeder valves arerubber based.

84 If you are having trouble getting tires on or off your rims, trying using a tubethat’s one size smaller in width than the tire you’re using. For example, if you use a700x25C tire, try a 700x23C tube.

85 Powerbar and GU wrappers work great for fixing sliced tires, so don’t throwthem in the trash until you get home from your ride. Dollar bills also work.

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86 If you are going to ride in therain on a consistent basis, a beater rainbike is a good investment. This preventsyour favorite bike from being subjected tothe grit and grime that come with ridingin the rain.

87 Always drink more water thanyou think you need. A general rule is todrink one bottle per hour, even when it’scold out—which is hard to do, but it’simportant. Director Sportifs often have totell the tour stars to drink when it’s cold.Even the best forget.

88 Although we pretend to know itall, we don’t. Two great places to go foradditional tech tips are: www.sheldon-browne.com and www.parktool.com.

89 Even if your planned three-hourride gets compressed into 30 minutes,ride anyway. Thirty minutes is better than

nothing at all, and it will remind you howgreat the two-wheeled life can be, even fora short amount of time.

90 Few things are more aggravat-ing than a mis-shifting drivetrain. At leastonce a year you should go through yourdrivetrain for a thorough cleaning usingsolvents, brushes and gear combs. Takeoff the chain. Does it need to be replaced?Clean it thoroughly as well. Give yourcranks a good spin to make sure theyrotate like a Frisbee in flight.


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102 TIPS102 TIPS

91 When flying with your bike, reducing the tire pressurewill prevent a blowout as the pressure changes during flight. Doyou also need to be reminded to leave any C02 cartridges athome or lose them to the TSA?

92 This one is born from firsthandexperience. If you’re going to insist on ridingwith THE yellow jersey, be sure to respectits history and prestige by making sure itcovers your belly.

93 After flatting on theroad, never, and we meannever, install a new innertube without first checkingthe inside of the tire cas-ing to see if there are anysharp objects pokingthrough. There’s nothingworse than installing anew tube only to have itgo flat as it gets inflatedbecause the same nailthat caused your first flat isstill embedded in the tire.

94 We always put a carbonadhesive (Finishline) or rub some dirt (did wesay that?) on carbon stems so they won’t slip.

95 Check your tires for cut glass or thorns after you ride,as opposed to before you ride. This way, you have time to fix thetire or get a new one before the next ride.

96 Since most road bike helmets do not have a visoroption, wear a cycling cap under your helmet if you have a longride in the sun on your schedule. And to help maintain air flow,you can cut out most of the top and frontal area of the cap to justmaintain the benefit of the visor.

97 Glazed brake shoes cause weak braking and impolitesqueals. Use sandpaper, a file or an emery board to buff off theglaze and roughen up the pads. Also, pick out dirt, grit or piecesof metal that have become embedded in the pad. If the pad hashardened so much you can’t scratch it with your fingernail, or ifit’s worn past the indicator line, replace it.

98 Dieting is for early season training. After that, if youare putting in miles and racing regularly, you’ll need to poundcalories to refuel. Too many athletes race undernourishedbecause they become obsessed with dieting.

99 Even if you haven’t joined the aero wheel revolution(yet), carry a valve extender. There are various companies, (Park,Schwalbe, Zipp) who make quality valve extenders, and someonewill need one on your ride. It’s also not a bad idea to carry aSchraeder adapter as well, just in case a gas station is the onlyplace you can find some air.

100 Time trial tip: Always have your heart rate build toits maximum at the finish of the race. The key is to moderate thegas pedal, but you need to know your engine. As you know, it canvary day to day, week to week. One day you’re a Don Garlits drag-ster, the next day you’re Herbie the love bug. The trick is learning

how much rest you need leading upto the event. Don’t follow what

works for your buddies.Plus, never trust what your

buddies tell you works forthem.

101 Record yourpreferred tire pressure, and

then experiment with twoto five psi in either

direction so youunderstand howyour bike can han-dle differently withrelatively the samesetup.

102 Whenyou plan to store your

bike, be sure to dropthe front derailleur onto

the small ring and the rearderailleur onto the small

cog to relieve pressure on the springs.

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1pg_mxa_rc_combo_ad.indd 1 5/4/09 4:33:13 PM

Compete for your Stars-and-Stripes at the

USA Cycling National Championships.June 28 - July 4 USA Cycling Masters Road National Championships Louisville, KY

July 2-5 USA Cycling Junior Track National Championships Carson, CA

July 28 - Aug 2 USA Cycling Junior, U23 & Elite Road National Championships Bend, OR

July 31 USA Cycling Tandem Sprint Championships Trexlertown, PA

Aug 15-16 USA Cycling Elite & Professional Criterium Championships Downers Grove. IL

Aug 18-23 USA Cycling Masters Track National Championships Indianapolis, IN

Aug 29-30 USA Cycling Professional Road and TT National Championships Greenville, SC

Sept 30 - Oct 4 USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships Carson, CA

Dec 10-13 USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships Bend, OR

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RBA

tech


Situated on the far-flung reaches ofFrance’s westernmost region ofBrittany, along the pink limestone cliffs

of the Côtes-d’Armor, is where you’ll find thetiny hamlet of Plurien. Plurien is home to FMB(Francois Marie Boyaux), a tiny artisan outfitthat makes some of the finest tubular tires(known as boyaux in French) in the world.Francois Marie and his family moved toBrittany from Paris a decade ago when Mariedecided to produce his handcafted tubulartires. Although Marie didn’t know it at thetime, when he started his business in the late1990s he was ahead of the market trends.Tubular tires have became popular once againover the past five years.

Road Bike Action recently traveled to themajestic Cap Frehel shoreline to pay a visit toMarie and his petit company, a true familyaffair, where he and his wife and his father andmother all work to make their unique cyclingtires.

On the way to Plurien, we passed throughYffinac, the hometown of Bernard Hinault.Eventually, we arrived at FMB. As the smells oflatex, rubber cement and salt air swirledthrough our nostrils, Marie gave us a tour ofhis tiny atelier and patiently took us throughthe painstaking steps involved in the fabrica-tion of tubular tires.

THE HISTORYMarie began the tour by explaining how he

got into the handmade tubular business. “I’vealways had a passion for tubular tires,” hesaid. “I was a racer and also used to repairtubulars on the side. I learned to make tubu-lars by working for several tire manufacturers.After working as a motorcycle messenger inParis for six years, I decided to move to Brittany

How family-run FMBsets the standard

Tim Maloney

Bernard Hinault looms large inhis home village of Yffinac.

THE HISTORY

TOTALLY TUBULAR

TOTALLY TUBULAR

RBA

77Road Bike Action

and make my own tires.” Working in a miniscule, 350-square-foot,corrugated metal garage, Marie creates road, track and cyclo-cross silk tubulars with custom rubber treads. “We source ormake ourselves all the components for the tubulars in France. Wemake the special cloth here that makes the casings. It takes sev-eral days of work to make a tubular tire.” Marie explained that thefabric for the casings comes from endless bands made by wind-ing a fine thread of cotton or silk on a drum, which is then coatedwith liquid latex. Once the latex has set-up for 24 hours, this mate-rial then turns into fabric. The fibers are angled at 45 degrees andthen laid in two biased plies for strength and flexibility. The casingfabric is not vulcanized (which would make it more durable, butless supple) and is only held together by the air-dried latex. “Oncethe casing fabric is made, we unroll it as we cut the casings to theproper size for each tubular, from 20mm for track tires to 34mmfor cyclocross tires. Once we make the first casing, we store it ina dark, dry room for a week so it cures and dries out before fur-ther assembly.”

HAND ROLLINGAfter the casings emerge from curing, Marie hand-rolls each

casing to compress the threads. “This makes each casingstronger,” he says. Then the casings are cut in two, and fold lines,called “orielles” (ears) are drawn. The edges are turned over andsewn by hand on an old industrial sewing machine with linenthread. “We have a special way to stitch this part; usually it’s asingle stitching, but we double-stitch it for more strength anddurability.” Once the casings are stitched, the internal chafing

strip is sewn in place on one side, the tube is placed inside, andthe other edge of the strip is then sewn to enclose the tube. FMBuses a special latex band between the tube and casing as anti-puncture protection and to reduce rolling resistance. Next thebase tape is glued on, and then the tread is glued in place on thecasing, which is then inflated to 13 bar (182psi) and hung on aspecial rack to cure for 12 to 24 hours.

Tubulars Are Us: FMB tubular tires.

Each tubular starts with custom-produced, rubberized clothin cotton or silk that arrives as an endless roll, ready to becut to the correct width.

HAND ROLLING

techRBA


THE TREADSBecause Marie prefers to follow his own path, he designs and

sources his own treads for FMB. Although FMB gained a cult fol-lowing for its cyclo-cross tubulars, like the SP (Super Prestige)model with tangerine casing or SSC Sprint (Spécial ServiceCourse) for fast courses, FMB also produces state-of-the-art tracktires in silk or cotton, like the Super Pista Record with ultra-low-rolling-resistance, green, fine-file treads. Road models include theCotton Critérium in 20- and 22-millimeter versions, Soie naturelleCritérium (Silk Critérium) in 20-, 22- and 23-millimeters, and a 25-millimeter Paris-Roubaix model with a special reinforced 0.2-mil-meter green latex sidewall that Tom Boonen rode to victory in lastyear’s Roubaix classic.

Various custom FMB treads before being mounted on com-pleted casings.

Once the sewing of the FMB casings is completed, they aremounted on rims at high pressure to check constructionintegrity.

THE NUMBERSTrue to the tradition of old world craftsmanship, Francois

Marie and his small FMB outfit produce less than 10,000 tubularsper year, but each one maintains the fast-disappearing traditionof a handmade bicycle product. “We really love our work,” Mariesays with an obvious air of pride and enthusiasm. “We have a spe-cial passion for this.” Following his interview and factory tour,Marie excused himself to drive all night to deliver a fresh batch of130-gram track tires to some riders at the French track champi-onships. C’est l’amour.

THE TREADS

THE NUMBERS

Totally TubularTotally Tubular

Spokes are THE KEY elementof the wheel structure.

By redesigning the spoke’s construction Mavic made LIGHTER and STIFFER wheels for INSTANT ACCELERATION.

Tracomp technology has been developed withand is endorsed by Mavic pro-riders from AG2R-La Mondiale, Liquigas, Silence-Lotto and OUCH teams.

www.mavic.com

10% lighter*Carbon TraComp spokes are 38% lighter than their stainless steelequivalent.

With the Tracomp technology, the tubular carbon spokes works bothin traction and compression.This new design allows us to lower the spoke tension and finally to reduce the stress on the rim and the hub.

30% stiffer*Thanks to clamped spokes on each end:- to the rim with Fore technology

TM

- to the hub with the Tracomp ring TM

Uncompressible and non-stretchable spokes:- Metallic spokes are flexible and stretchable- Tubular carbon spokes are uncompressible and unstretchable

*compared to a wheel using conventional spokes.

R-SYSlight & stiff

ADS_1.indd 38 4/30/09 10:57:29 AM


RBA

TWO BIKESWILL

TRAVEL WILL

TRAVEL

TWO BIKES

The Dean Randonneur and The RitcheyBreakaway will take you places you never thoughtyou would go. And, the ride will be pretty goodwhile you are there.

81Road Bike Action

RBA

T here is art to traveling with bikes. A tradi-tional bike, boxed up, broken down andthrown on a plane is expensive, risky, diffi-

cult and oftentimes not worth the hassle. DeanBikes and Ritchey are hoping to change that. We

took these two bikes at face value, broke themdown, built them up, and rode them in all situa-tions to see if either one could be the answer tothe challenge of traveling with bikes. What wefound out was quite a surprise...

Photo: Pat Carrigan

aged, you can fix them as well as possible and ride drag-free with-out compromising your braking performance.

PUTTING IT TOGETHER AND TAKING IT APARTBefore you awaken the Randonneur from its sleep, take note (or a

picture) of how the parts are stored inside the case. There is a methodto the madness—get it wrong and you might miss your return flighttrying to repack the bike. The case is engineered to be as small as pos-sible—to the point where the 700C tires must be deflated to tuck thewheels inside. Custom neoprene wraps and pouches are included toprovide separation and protection for the various disassembled bits,and if you look carefully, each is inscribed (black-on-black) with a feltpen so you can mate the proper neoprene with its rightful compo-nent. Our bike came with quick-release fenders (a nice touch), andthere were no bike assembly instructions in sight.

With the Randonneur in a bike stand, it took 45 minutes to getthe Dean assembled. This is not something that you will want todo on a daily basis, (although this is quite possible should yourequire it). The S&S couplers are easy to operate and are tight-ened to 35 foot-pounds with a special wrench included with thebike. Next, the fork is slipped into the frame (take a good look atthe cable routing, because it can be quite a puzzle should you getthe handlebar twisted in between one of the four housings) andthen the bar and stem are reintroduced. Screw in the rearderailleur, slide the Dura-Ace crank through the bottom bracket,and secure the left arm. Slip the wheels on and slide the seatpostin place and you are almost there.

There are three cable connectors that thread together thatenable the rear brake and both derailleur cables to be brokendown along with the frame. Threading them back together can bedone by hand—and (this is the best part) shifting and braking


RBA

THE FRAMEDean’s take on the ultimate touring bike is both innovative and

classic. Its arching top tube blends into curved seat stays, whichgive the Randonneur a vintage flavor. Joe Breeze-type dropoutsenhance the Dean’s minimalist profile, as do its tiny, welded-onpannier mounts. Two S&S hirth-type junctions are welded in placeon the top tube and downtubes, and the cable housing stops areslotted to allow quick disengagement of the controls. Our 58-cen-timeter frame had a classic-length, 58-centimeter top tube. Theslightly sloping top tube raises the handlebar to an amicabletourist height, which segways into the Randonneur’s most uniquefeatures—a Woundup Team-X aluminum-crown, carbon fibercyclocross fork, and Avid mechanical disc brakes on both wheels.Why disc brakes? Dean designed the frame to double as a fullyloaded touring machine. Also, since you’ll be traveling with oneset of wheels, it is a comfort to know that, should the rims be dam-

Price: $6450, (frame and fork and coupler: $3600)Weight: 21.25 poundsInfo: www.deanbikes.com

A custom titanium touring bike—in a suitcase? THE DEAN RANDONNEURTHE DEAN RANDONNEUR

Dean’s Randonneur is available with or without the S&STitanium coupling system, but if you travel, there is no substitutefor the breakaway version of Dean’s most popular touring design.Dean builds the Randonneur frame specifically for each customerfrom U.S.-made 3/2.5-alloy titanium tubes, and then outfits theframe with your selection of components, chosen from a numberof existing build kits. Ours was a $2150 Shimano Dura-Ace build.The frame alone will run $2150, with an additional $750 for theS&S coupling system, and then you’ll need to add $400 for a fork.The handy traveling case will cost about $400, and you’ll want toinclude it—both to protect your investment from overzealous bag-gage handlers and because it will exonerate you from having topay outrageous airline bicycle fees. The complete, 58-centimeterDean Randonneur weighs 21.25 pounds and fits very snugly intoits sturdy 26.5x26.5x10.5-inch locking hard-case, which isequipped with a pull handle and a pair of wheels.

remain in adjustment after reattaching the connectors. The onlytools you’ll need beyond the S&S wrench is a set of Allen wrench-es and a plastic Shimano spline tool for the left crank arm adjust-ment (not included).

Give yourself at least 45 minutes for your first try at disassem-bling the Dean, because inevitably, there will be some confusionabout which padding goes where and the sequence that bestresults in a well-packed case. Get it wrong and the case will “near-ly” close, but avoid the temptation to sit on it and force the latch-es, as there are $6500 worth of delicate Randonneur parts insidethat your well-being will depend upon later.

THE PARTSDean outfitted our Randonneur with a Dura-Ace 7800 drive-

train and triple crankset, Avid BB7 disc brakes, a Thomson alu-minum stem and seatpost, a Ritchey Comp handlebar, and DTSwiss RR 1.2 rims laced to Chris King hubs. Tires were ultra-durable Continental 4Season clinchers. Together, the Randonneurframe and components weigh 21.25 pounds and are a well-craft-ed blend of sporty performance and trekking durability.

THE RIDEInitial acceleration reminds you that this is a touring machine,

not an uber-light ProTour racing bicycle. The Dean takes a coupleof extra pedal strokes to get up to speed, but once there, itremains on point with an enlightened, efficient feel. There isenough steering stability to make hands-off riding comfortable,should you want to snap pictures of tulip fields in Holland orLamas in Patagonia. Cornering is stable and secure, but still live-ly enough so you can rip up a lunch ride or sit in with a pelotonfull of racer-boys. The Randonneur’s titanium frame and compo-nent selection mute the feel of the pavement for an all-day levelof comfort.

Avid’s disc brakes take an hour or so to bed into the rotors.Take heed, because unlike rim brakes, they require a lot ofsqueeze when they are new, but they will haul the bike down withone finger once they pass the break-in period. The bends of theRitchey handlebar were well suited to all-day riding on the hoods,while being low enough in the drops to make headway againststrong winds. We liked the Dura-Ace triple crankset because wecould enjoy the closely spaced 21x25-tooth cassette and still havelow gears for extended climbs.

THE VERDICTDean’s breakaway Randonneur is the ultimate travel accesso-

ry. You don’t need an adding machine to realize that the Dean fitsinto the “James Bond” category of travel gear. The bottom line forthe Dean Randonneur is not a monetary figure, it is the freedomto ride. When you see a road less traveled, you won’t be wishingyou brought your road bike—it will be waiting in the trunk of yourrental car or in your hotel room. Cycling enthusiasts who travelfrequently can take the Dean along and enjoy the pleasure of rid-ing a custom-tailored, high-performance road bike instead ofwatching the world Snooker Championships in the hotel sportsbar. If you don’t have time to ride, it remains conveniently stowedin its case until you do.

83Road Bike Action

RBA

WILL TRAVEL WILL TRAVEL The special wrenchis easy to use.

S&S fittings are weldedin place.

Neoprene pads fit all theparts that may rub together.

Threaded quick release cableconnectors are a nice touch.


RBA

Ritchey has been making road and mountain bikes since thelate 1970s. During the 1980s, Ritchey built roughly 400 frames ayear. Starting in the 1990s, Ritchey began scaling back frameproducts and focused on components. By the end of the decade,it appeared that Ritchey frames would be a thing of the past.Thankfully, a couple of years ago Ritchey revived their frame divi-sion and introduced the Break-Away series—a collection of road,mountain and cross bikes based on the famous Ritchey geometry,but able to be broken down and packed into a 8.5x26.5x31-inchtravel case. To make the always-traveling RBA staff’s life easier,Ritchey sent us their top-of-the-line Ti/Carbon Break-Away. Wewere curious to see if a “folding” bike could live up to the Ritcheyheritage.

A titanium and carbon traveling companion from one of the most famous names in cycling

Price: $6230Weight: 17.4 poundsInfo: www.ritcheylogic.com

THE FRAMEThe Ritchey Ti/Carbon Break-Away features a frame made of

aerospace-grade titanium and hi-modulus carbon fiber. The fronttriangle is made from 3/2.5 titanium and features a braze-onfront derailleur mount and integrated headset. The carbon fiberrear triangle features a replaceable rear dropout. The titaniumand carbon frame is mated to a full carbon Ritchey WCS fork.

PUTTING IT TOGETHER AND TAKING IT APARTThe Break-Away comes apart at the seat cluster and downtube

near the bottom bracket shell. The junction at the seat cluster con-sists of two separate seatpost clamps, one on the wishbone seatstay and the other attached to the top tube. Each clamp is cut atan angle to allow them to align and form a solid link when theseatpost is inserted and the clamps are tightened.

The junction at the bottom bracket consists of a straight cut inthe downtube. On each side of the break, the tubes featurebeveled lips that press together and are then secured with a com-pression clamp. The derailleur and brake cables use cleaver screwcouplers that allow for quick separation when disassembling thebike. Unpacking and assembling the Ritchey took roughly 15 min-utes, while disassembling and packing took about 25 minutes.The extra time was mainly spent covering the tubes and fork intheir plastic scratch guards and packing everything in its speci-fied order.

The ease with which the Break-Away assembles and disassem-bles is impressive. RBA testers traveled several times with theBreak-Away and were never charged a bicycle transportation or

RITCHEY TI/CARBON BREAK-AWAYRITCHEY TI/CARBON BREAK-AWAY

The Ritchey breaks down at theseat tube and down tube.

oversized luggage fee. If you travel a lot, the money saved in feeswill help offset the cost of the Break-Away.

THE PARTSThe Ti/Carbon Break-Away featured a full Dura Ace group that

worked flawlessly. A Ritchey WCS carbon stem, handlebar andseatpost made up the cockpit, which was rounded out with aRitchey Streem saddle. All the Ritchey parts worked flawlessly andhave been race-tested by some of the best riders in the profession-al peloton. The Ritchey Protocol WCS LTD wheelset was smoothand stayed true throughout the test. Weighing a respectable1495-grams a set, we were impressed with the wheels’ durabilityand overall performance. The Protocol WCS LTD wheels were fit-ted with Ritchey Road Slick tires. The tires offered good traction inboth wet and dry conditions.

THE NUMBERSOur 56-centimeter Ritchey has 73.5-degree head and 73.5-

degree seat tube angles, connected by a 56-centimeter top tube.The Break-Away weighed 17.4 pounds without pedals.

THE RIDEWe expected to feel some additional flex in the bottom brack-

et due to the coupling being so close to the bottom bracket, butwe were pleasantly surprised to find little or no differencebetween the Break-Away and a non-folding bike. The combinationof the titanium front triangle mated to the carbon rear and WCSfork made for one of the smoothest riding bikes to come throughthe RBA offices. All-day comfort was exceptional, and the bike’sbalance offered solid handling in virtually all situations. While notsuper stiff, the Break-Away climbed extremely well with a snappyfeel in and out of the saddle. Descending was equally impressive,as the smooth ride aided in the feeling of control and encouragedus to tackle descents with increased speed.

THE VERDICTThe Ti/Carbon Break-Away is a great, no-compromise bike that

happens to fold up for easy transport. Its light weight and quickbreakdown time make it ideal if you travel and don’t want to sac-rifice performance and ride quality.

RBA

85Road Bike Action

WILL TRAVEL WILL TRAVEL

Keep the headtube spacers soyou can fit the bike to anotherrider.

The rear sectionis carbon fiber.

The second break-away is on the downtube.


RBA

Do you remember when this was cool?

Road Bike Action decided to take a look back—wayback—at some of the technology and trends of the1980s. Here’s a taste of some of our favorite maga-

THE BEST ADS OFTHE 1980s

zine ads from the era. It would help if you listened to DuranDuran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf” while reading this story. Or, lis-ten to the soundtrack to Sixteen Candles.

Before Garmin, Columbia, Discovery, U.S. Postal and Motorola, there

was the legendary 7-Eleven team.

A classicsteel Bianchiin Celeste.Bianchi has along history ofracing, mostrecently spon-soring theB a r l o w o r l dteam.

Descente was one of the premier clothing brands of the1980s. They’re still around today and offer a full line ofquality apparel.

RBA

87Road Bike Action

In 1983, a pair of Specialized sealed-bearing hubs cost

only $44.95. Today, Specialized is one of the largest bicycle

companies in the world and sponsors the Saxo Bank and

Quick Step professional teams.

Greg LeMond rode for Gitane Cycles in the early

1980s. Though LeMond hadn’t yet won the Tour de France,

Gitane used his victory in the 1981 Coors Classic to sell

bikes in the United States.

Panasonic displays their idea of an aerodynamicbicycle. The Aero Road 6000 included an ovalized seat-post and aero water bottle.

Rossin was an Italian brand that had mild success in the early1980s but faded from the market by the mid 1990s.

88www.roadbikeaction.com

The Ultimate was Excel’s top-of-the-line group, with a

polished aluminum caged rear derailleur and drilled-out

chainrings to save weight.By today’s standards, the V1-PRO is heavy and poorly ventilat-

ed, but in 1983 the V1-PRO was cutting edge.

Murray was the official supplier of the 1984 Olympics team,

but the bikes were really built by Serotta, while gold medal-win-

ner Alexi Grewal rode a Pinarello.

The 1982 Excel Gruppo Rino attempted to compete at the high

end of the market but could never match the quality and perform-

ance of Campagnolo components. However, it wasn’t until the emer-

gence of Shimano in the late 1980s (with their lower price and supe-

rior quality and performance) that Excel finally folded.

BEST ADS OF THE 1980s

89Road Bike Action

Schwinn touts their racing heritage in this ad from 1982. The Schwinn her-

itage is alive today with the release of the 70th-anniversary-edition

Paramount.

Pepsi as a sports drink.

The Raleigh team featured Andy Hampsten, Steve Hegg,Roy Knickman and Steve Tilford. Raleigh was one of the onlyteams capable of competing with 7-Eleven in the U.S.


RBA

Dia-Compe brakes were considered top-of-the-line equip-

ment in the 1980s. This ad congratulates Alexi Grewal on his

gold medal at the 1984 Olympic games.

A 1985 ad for the movie “American Flyer,” staring Kevin

Costner and David Grant. While the movie was not a main-

stream hit, it has become a cult classic within the cycling com-

munity.

In 1984, SunTour used eight-time world professional Sprint

Champion Nakano to sell the benefits of their SuperbePro group.

Unfortunately, few people in the United States were familiar with

Nakano, or his spectacular career.

Long before the development of the iconic Kreitler logo featur-

ing Killer the Yorkshire Terrier, Kreitler was making high-end

rollers. Despite Al Kreitler’s passing in 2001, Kreitler continues

making rollers that remain the industry standard.

91Road Bike Action

RBA


A Panasonic ad from 1985. Despite building quality

bikes, Panasonic struggled in the U.S. market, eventually

pulling out in 1989.

The Victory was Campagnolo’s mid-range group during the1980s. By the end of the 1980s, Campagnolo was in competition withlower-priced and more innovative groups from Shimano.Campangnolo and Shimano have spent the last twenty years tryingto one-up each other.

Pearl Izumi has been in the bicycle industry a long

time. This ad is in celebration of Rebecca Twigg’s win at

the 1983 Coors Classic.

Assos used this ad to promote their line of time trial clothing.Assos clothing is still used by professional riders all over theworld.


In the 1980s, Peugeot was pushing the technologi-cal envelope with the PY10-FC. The PY10-FC featuredcarbon main tubes mated to aluminum lugs and analuminum rear triangle.

Dura-Ace came to the forefront in the 1980s.By the early 1990s, it was the standard by whichall other groups were judged. In 2008, Shimanolaunched the Di2 electronic group.

Coors was a major

supporter of cycling in

the 1980s, sponsoring

the famous Coors

Classic stage race.

Coors continued their

support of cycling into

the 1990s with the

Coors Light team of

Alexi Grewal and Davis

Phinney.

French hero Bernard Hinault is featured in an ad for the 1983Sidi Cycle Sport shoe. Sidi shoes are still used by top professionals.

93Road Bike Action


Raleigh capitalizes on the success of the U.S. team at the1984 Olympics. The Raleigh superbike helped set the trend fortime trial and track bikes for the next decade.

Campagnolo supplied components for the U.S. National

Team as they prepared for the 1984 Olympic games in Los

Angeles.

Superbe-Pro was SunTour’s top-of-the-line group, but the intro-duction of Shimano’s STI brake/shift levers at the end of thedecade put an end to the Superbe-Pro’s dominance.

Specialized has a long history of supporting rac-ing in America. In 1985, Specialized’s neutral sup-port traveled across the country, helping countlessracers.

RBA

RBA

bike test


RBA

TF1TF1Photos by: Pat Carrigan

Modern-Day World Champion’s Perfect Racer

Road Bike Action 95

Maurizio Fondriest’s racing career (1987 to 1998)spanned the golden era of innovation, which includedclipless pedals, index and brake-lever shifting systems,

the rise and fall of aluminum and titanium, and the dawn of car-bon fiber. Maurizio was known for his dedication to minute tech-nical details regarding the bike and his cycling position. Victoriesin a wide variety of classic races, including two World Cup overalltitles and the 1988 World Championships, lend credibility toFondriest’s post-retirement decision to design a line of racing bicy-cles and custom carbon frames, the most famous of which is theTF1.

THE FRAMEThe TF1 is Fondriest’s masterpiece. With an oh-so-Italian

frame, it features a curved top tube and wildly profiled seat andchain stays. It is topped with 3K woven carbon material for bothstructural concerns and visual pop. The arching top tube themecontinues through to the TF1’s wishbone seat stays. The TF1 car-bon fork is molded with aerodynamic fins near the front brakeand below the crown. The headset is integrated into the frame,which plays well to the Fondriest’s clean-looking profile.Construction methods are kept secret, but the technique visiblethrough the clear-coated frame indicates the tube-to-tube joiningprocess.

Tube-to-tube frames are built from separate carbon fiber pipesso that each can be high-pressure molded more precisely than aone-piece frame. The frame is glued together and reinforced ateach joint with hand-applied layers of carbon material. The frameis then cured to its final strength. Tube-to-tube construction resultsin very lightweight frames and lends itself well to moderate pro-duction runs and custom builders. This is just one more reasonthe TF1 stands apart.

The TF1’s frame numbers are tour-proven and vary accordingto frame size. Our 55-centimeter, large model (56-cm level toptube equivalent) had a 56.5-centimeter top tube, 40.7-centimeterchain stays, a 73-degree head angle and a 73.5-degree seatangle. Medium-sized TF1 frames weigh 970 grams—lightweight byanyone’s standards—and the TF1 fork weighs 340 grams. Fiveframe sizes are available, and Fondriest offers a custom frameoption as well.

THE BUILDOutfitted as a pure racer, the TF1 breaks from the present

trend towards addressing the comfort concerns of amateurenthusiasts with taller head tubes, shorter stems and forward-position saddles. Fondriest delivers a true pro-bike setup with along, 130-millimeter, 3T ARX aluminum stem and full-depth, 3TErgosum Team carbon fiber handlebar. The seatpost is a set-back-type FSA K-Force Carbon model topped with a Selle Italia Flight Ti-rail saddle. The moment he climbs aboard, the TF1 rider is remind-ed that speed is the goal of racing.

Bici Fondriest is decidedly Italian, so most customers will havetheir TF1 dressed in one of three Campagnolo ensembles. But ifyou prefer, you can order a TF1 with a Shimano Dura-Ace build.We ordered our TF1 with Campagnolo’s new 11-speed Chorusgroup because we wanted to see how it compared to the SuperRecord groupset (RBA June 2009). The wheels were CampagnoloFulcrum Racing-1s mounted to Vittoria Open Corsa Evo CX clinch-er tires. The all-up weight of the large Fondriest was a respectable15.3 pounds (6.94kg).

THE RIDE“Long and low” were the first impressions that every Fondriest

rider noted. Its 130-millimeter 3T stem has no rise, and its setback

FONDRIEST


RBA

FSA seatpost effectively adds 2.5 centimeters to itsalready roomy office. Riders who usually ride 58-cen-timeter frames would fit the large Fondriest TF1 best.The fact that it is advertised as a 55-centimeter bike isnot a trick—just an honest representation of the seattube length.

On the road, the TF1 is smooth and versatile—asone would expect from a true ProTour racer. ItsFulcrum Racing-1 wheels are not the lightest racingclinchers, and thus temper the Fondriest’s initial accel-eration, but their precise feel in the turns and wind-cheating aero spokes make up for losses (imagined orotherwise) while descending or spinning a big gear onthe flats. In a sentence, the TF1’s handling is smoothand predictable. The TF1 reminds us that most enthu-siasts choose too large of a frame, while top profes-sionals often ride smaller sizes that afford more fittingoptions and a lighter bicycle. Those who actually fitthe TF1 raved about its climbing and about the factthat it held a razor-straight line while sprinting.

Campagnolo’s Fulcrum wheels and Chorus “skele-ton” brakes make for an impressive pair—addinganother level of descending performance to thealready-impressive Fondriest. Powerful and precise,Campagnolo’s braking encourages the TF1 rider topump the pedals a few more times before each cor-ner—while the TF1 yells “faster, faster” when acceler-ating out of each apex. Campagnolo’s separate brakeand shift paddles are not perfect for all riders—espe-cially those who ride far back on the drops. On thehoods, the thumb lever is better than electric shiftingbecause it selects a number of gears in one push. Inthe drops, however, quick shifts with the thumb leverrequire practice and a degree of technique. That said,our shift-lever gripes are not Fondriest’s problem, butmerely an observation about a component option.

The difference between Chorusand Super-Record is price andweight—not performance.

The semi-aero fork design andintegrated headset give the TF1a sleek look.

RBA’S VERDICTWhen a decorated professional

develops a racing bicycle, one canexpect that he will infuse it with theriding qualities and inspiration thatcome from a level of cycling even themost devoted enthusiast can onlyaspire towards. Those of us who arehappily pumping out club rides on ourRoubaixs or Madones will probablyfind the Fondriest’s authentic racingergonomics uncomfortable and itspredictable handling too tame. True

tf1

competitors—those who dictate thepace on the climbs, who force thedecisive breaks, and who lie in waitfor anyone who dares to make amove—will feel right at home aboardthis outstanding Italian beauty.

Price:$4700 (frame only)Weight: 15.3 poundsInfo: www.veloeuropa.com

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RBA


Women are a fast-growing segment of the cycling pop-ulation, and much of that growth is being fueled bysome of the best women racers and their sponsors

taking an active role in encouraging other women to take up thesport. Women are offering support by sharing experiences (sto-ries about their first race, first visit to a bike shop, or first timeusing clipless pedals) that can give other woman the confidenceto give cycling a try. We caught up with Jenny Skorez from GiantFor Women to find out more about what they are doing to reachout to female cyclists.

RBA: What is Giant for Women?Jenny: Giant for Women is a multi-faceted program that con-

nects brand, product, and people (women!). We don’t just makegreat women’s bikes. We support women of all ages and abili-ties, from experienced riders to first-timers, by providingresources through www.GiantForWomen.com. Our websiteoffers how-to tips, full-length articles on training and mainte-nance, a place to post events, a way to find other women to ridewith, and a forum for discussing questions, concerns, and sharing

experiences. It is a true virtual community. The Ride SocietyLeaders support the larger women’s cycling community, travel-ing all over the country to conduct clinics and seminars throughlocal dealers.

RBA: How did you get involved?Jenny: I met someone from Giant while attending SRAM

Technical University and was invited to become a founding mem-ber of the Ride Society because I have an extensive and diversebackground in the bicycle industry. I bring technical expertise tothe Ride Society, both mechanical and in regards to bike fit, and Ihave a long history of conducting cycling camps and clinics forwomen.

RBA: What is one tip you would give to women who are eitherjust entering the sport or looking to step up their involvement?

Jenny: Connect with other women locally. The support awoman gets from riding with a group of other women builds con-fidence. Women love to share tips and information. Riding with astrong women’s group always manages to inspire me.

A group of cyclists, Giant For Women, is helping new riders transform into enthusiasts…

Women Helping WomenWomen Helping Women

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RBA

RaeLynn Milley, a fellow busy woman, racer and coach, shares afew of her secret tips.

PRACTICE YOUR PLANKI’m a big believer in core strength. The plank is a move you can

do in your cubicle, in a hotel, or in the park while the kids play.Hold for as long as you can while maintaining proper form. Aplank is a seemingly simple move where you hold your body in asstraight a line as possible while putting your weight on your fore-arms and toes. This is a great workout for the entire core and ismuch harder than it looks.

HEAD TO THE HILLSWhen time is short, make the most of your ride. I’ve mapped out

a five-mile hill loop inside my neighborhood. I do a quick warm up,then hit this loop. It has nine small, short hills, varying in grade fromfive percent to 18 percent. I do each hill once, then I do them eachagain, but standing, or in a harder gear. Take a rest by spinning softbetween each interval. A 10-minute warm-up, 20 minutes of hills,and a 10-minute cool down; it’s a great workout in under an hour.

HEAD TO THE GYMThere are so many different schools of thought on weight

workouts and the gym. I alternate between these two, dependingon time:

When time is short, I work my major parts: back, chest, biceps,shoulders, calves, quads, hamstrings and triceps…one to threereps/two sets with a heavier weight (not superman strength, justmore than I usually do). For quads, I prefer ball squats to weights;choose what is best for you.

When I have more time, I work all the same parts one to tenreps/three sets each at a low weight. I also add obliques to thisworkout.

QUICK CARDIOI hate cardio inside, so I run up a little hiking hill near my

house. It gets my heart rate up and I’m outside. Spin class isgreat, too…45 minutes to an hour, and work hard—no slacking! IfI can’t leave the house, I grab a backpack and do the Rockything—fill it with books, switch my iPod to “Survivor,” and up anddown the stairs I go.

When you can’t go for a long ride…

Mini-Workouts for Busy DaysMini-Workouts for Busy Days

By Katharine McCoy

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RBA

I just read your answer to a similar question in theMarch/April edition concerning compact cranks and standardcranks. I live in South Mississippi and ride moderate hills. In yourprevious answer, the response seemed like it dealt in large partwith both riders being in the big chainring on the front. I ride astandard 39/53 with a 12/23 9-speed on back and ride with afairly high cadence (88 to 94 rpm). Many of the guys I ride withride compact cranks and tend to live in the 50-tooth chainring agood bit of the time. Unless I am going above 23 or 24 mph, Ivery seldom get out of the 39-tooth chainring. I tried compactcranks once and felt it put me in the big chainring before I want-ed to be in it, and I had trouble finding a comfortable gear onceI was in the 50-tooth chainring. My question is two-part. Should Ibe using the big chainring more, and second, it seems like you area proponent of compact cranks. Given my small-gear/high-cadence riding style, am I still at a disadvantage using standardcranks on hills? I do have a triple on one of my bikes that I usewhen we are going to be doing a ride in mountainous country.

—Glen Rayburn

The key to the compact drivetrain is the 11-tooth cassette cog.The 50x11 is slightly taller than a typical, standard-geared 53x12bike. So, if you switch to a compact drive, you get a taller highgear and a lower low. As far as gear selection while riding goes,

the key is to stay in the center of the cassette cogs and use thefront derailleur to adapt to rolling terrain. As a rule of thumb, anytime you will be down-shifting or up-shifting more than two cogs,you should be using the front derailleur, not the rear. The advan-tage of the “stay centered on the cassette strategy” is that you willbe able to up-shift or downshift with either lever in an emergencysituation—like when you need to counter a break or suddenchange in the terrain.

SPRING MAINTENANCE?After being away from my road bike for the winter, what are

some things I should check to make sure they are in proper work-ing order before taking it out on the first ride of the season?

—Jeffrey Stych

First order of business is the tires and tubes. Next is to replacethe brake pads—which should be done annually, regardless if theyseem worn or not. Most cables and housings run smoothlyenough to last a few seasons, but run the bike through the gearsand cycle the brakes to ensure there is no crud keeping them fromoperating correctly. Check the quick releases before you ride, asyou may have thrown a wheelset on without properly tighteningit. Finally, if you have not been riding a lot, you might want tolower the saddle five to ten millimeters to make up for some lost

ask R.C.By Richard Cunningham

SHOULD I BE USING THE BIG RING MORE? SHOULD I BE USING THE BIG RING MORE?

RBA

Contact Richard Cunningham for questions orcomments, or just to talk bikes at:[email protected]

flexibility. Crank it back up to full height in a month of riding, afteryour legs have relaxed back into fitness.

BIKES FOR THE CLYDESDALE SETI'm inquiring about a frame/gearing recommendation for a

300-pound new cyclist. I introduced my brother to cycling, and heis addicted. His weight/size is a concern, due to the flexibility intoday's frames. He currently has a2007 Lemond Alpe d'Huez, whichwas selected based on his comfort,budget and appearance/confidencewhen riding. When the Lemond is ona trainer, he can see/feel the flex inthe bike when he is pedaling.Manufacturers do not provideweight limits on frames, so shop-ping with safety in mind is a chal-lenge. From his research, heappears to be extremely interestedin the Giant Advance and/orSpecialized Roubaix.

—Nancy

Most road bikes are designed for 185-pound males, but testedto far greater extremes, so strength issues should not deter yourbrother from pounding out the miles. Safety should not be a con-cern if he takes a couple of precautions: First, he will be burning

up brake pads and heating his rims when descending steepgrades. For this reason, watch the pad wear and choose awheelset with aluminum rims (the Mavic Ksyrium is a greatchoice). Also, keep the tire pressure up towards the maximumnoted on the sidewalls. Second, he will be pushing a lot of weightuphill, so suggest that he upgrade his bike with a triple chainringsetup. The granny gear will make extended climbs a practical part

of his cycling and give him the ability toride with any group or organized eventthat includes substantial climbs. As far asa bike, the Roubaix is a good choice, as isthe Giant. Aluminum and carbon are thebest materials, because they offer the beststrength- and stiffness-to-weight ratios. Thefact that he flexes his frame and compo-nents when on the trainer is inconsequen-tial—there is no way to put lateral forcesinto a frame unless it is bolted to a rigidplatform. Once he puts the rear wheel backon and hits the road, his frame will see lesslateral stress than a featherweight, high-watt climber would inflict upon it.Photo: Sunada

RBA


By Brad RoePhotos: Yuzuru Sunada

PARIS-ROUBAIXPARIS-

ROUBAIX

PILGRIMAGE TO PILGRIMAGE TO

The journey to Paris-Roubaix is a cyclist’s rite of passage—

a chance to embrace the soul of bike racing, to digest the

pain, suffering and glory of the Queen of the Classics

RBA

107Road Bike Action

109Road Bike Action

A Classics rider is a little taller, a littlestronger, carries a bit more weight and isable to endure amazing suffering and pain

in terrible conditions. That same rider will hit the var-iegated and substantial cobbles of the ArenbergForest at 40 kilometers per hour and get spit out theother side, shaking, rocking, scared and angry. But,he will persevere.

Paris-Roubaix is on Easter Sunday. The Thursdaybefore the race, I got to ride a 2009 SpecializedRoubaix up the venerable Koppenberg climb, thedecisive and steep (22-percent) climb of the Tour ofFlanders. I almost turned around in defeat until Iremembered where I was and what I was climbing.

The next day, we loaded up our bikes, waited in aparking lot at the start of the Arenberg for TeamQuick-Step to arrive and then were invited to jointhem as they rode the course as a team. They hit theforest at a high speed, and I was spit off the backpretty quickly, but it didn’t affect the smile I had onmy face, riding those sacred rocks, learning therhythm, the hand positions that work and riding abike built specifically for this event and for these cob-bles. We rode the course into Roubaix, and I wasable to hang on for three hours and 12 sectionsbefore I hopped in the car, relieved and satisfied.

Minutes before the start, as I walked down thecourse to get to our car, I peeked into an ancientcathedral as Easter Mass was being celebrated. Iopened the closed doors, took off my hat, smelledthe incense, dipped my finger into a bowl of HolyWater and tried to take in the magnitude of the day.I knew in a few hours my family would be searchingthe yard for Easter eggs and going to Mass backhome. And, I also knew that in a few minutes, the rid-ers would begin flying through the towns and cob-bles of Northern France, enduring the unendurable.

The course was lined with thousands and thou-sands of fans, most yelling the meditative and fes-tive chant, “Tommeke, Tommeke, Tommeke.” WhenTom Boonen lost his last challenger, Thor Hushovd,on a left-hand turn crash, the chants reached epicsound levels.

Standing in the velodrome as the crowd wentcrazy and as Tom Boonen, in a sort of redemptivepose, took the two right turns into the hallowedplace, he had a determined look on his face ridingfaster than needed and sprinting across the line toclinch the win.

The defeated faces. The bloodied bodies. Thehands. And, the dreams that didn’t come true wereall a part of the day. That and the smiles, the victoryhugs, the champagne shared by the Quick-Stepteam at the Kennedy Hotel to celebrate TomBoonen’s third Paris-Roubaix victory and the reliefthat the world’s most difficult bike race was over.


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1. The dreaded ArenbergForest section of pave(Photo: Sunada)2. Fans of Tom Boonenlined the course3. Pre-riding the coursewith the SpecializedCrew.4. Inside Quick-Step'sRace Shop in Belgium.5. Team staff preparingfor the worst the cob-bles can bring.6. Stijn Devolder was allsmiles after his Tour ofFlanders win (Photo:Sunada)7. The French country-side is filled with bicyclelore.8. The anticipation atthe start.

ADS_1.indd 20 4/28/09 9:38:03 AM

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1. Thor Hushovd had the legsbut a late crash put him intothird place (Photo: Sunada)2. The windy and tough courseof the Queen Of The Classics.3. Bjarne Riis in a pre-raceinterview.4. All lined-up and ready to go.5. Hutchinson debuted some28mm tubeless prototypes atRoubaix.6. Quick-Step fans were out inhuge numbers.7. The 2009 Roubaix got meacross 12-sections of cobbles.8. Cycling fans are as unique asthe sport they follow.


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FITS UNDER HELMETS

HEADBANDS HATS VISORS BANDANAS SKULL CAPS

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cat 6 chroniclesRBA

SIX STEPS TO PROPER HELMET FITSIX STEPS TO PROPER HELMET FIT

Helmets come in various sizes, with fit varying greatlyamong manufacturers. Road Bike Action has outlinedthe six steps necessary to properly fit a helmet. Be pre-

pared for the possibility that not all helmets will be compatiblewith your particular head shape. You should expect to try on sev-eral brands and spend ten to 15 minutes to get your helmetproperly fitted.

Measure your head for approximate size. Try a similar sizedhelmet on to ensure it fits snugly. With the helmet placed level ontop of your head, make sure the helmet doesn’t rock side to side.Sizing pads come with new helmets, and you can use the pads tofine-tune the fit, mixing and matching the pads for comfort. Mostnew helmets now feature some sort of ratcheting, ring-sizing sys-tem instead of pads. Adjust the ring size to fit your head.

You want the helmet to be comfortably touching your head allthe way around, with the helmet level and stable enough to resisteven violent shakes or hard blows. It should be as low on yourhead as possible to maximize side coverage.

Make sure that the helmet sits level on your head and low onyour forehead. A good rule is that the base of the helmet shouldsit two finger-widths above the eyebrows.

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Center the left buckle under the chin. On most helmets, thestraps can be pulled from the back of the helmet to lengthen orshorten the chinstraps. It is easier to make these adjustments ifyou remove the helmet.

Adjust the slider on both straps to form a “V” shape under,and slightly in front of, the ears. Lock the sliders if possible.

RBA

55 66

Buckle the chinstrap and tighten the strap until it is snug. Nomore than one or two fingers should fit under the strap.

The final and usually the most time-consuming step is adjust-ing the helmet straps. Open your mouth wide as if you were yawn-ing. The helmet should pull down on your head. If not, refer backto step five and tighten the chinstrap. If your helmet rocks backmore than two fingers above the eyebrows, unbuckle it and short-en the front strap by moving the slider forward. Buckle, retightenthe chinstrap, and test again. If your helmet is sliding forwardover your eyes, unbuckle and tighten the back strap by moving theslider back toward your ear. Buckle, retighten the chinstrap, andtest again. Finally, once all adjustments are made, roll the rubberband down to the buckle. All four straps must go through the rub-ber band and be close to the buckle to prevent strap creep.

RBA

road tests

FULCRUM RACINGFULCRUM RACING


weight. The spoke interface is left thicker and thenmachined between each spoke hole. During that

process, the rim is dynamically balanced soit will run gyroscopically smooth at down-

hill racing speeds. The balancingprocess assumes the weight of an

average Presta valve stem in itscalculations. Fulcrum makes it

clear that the Racing Zero isperfectly suited for conven-

tional tubes and clinchertires—and remember tosubtract the weight oftwo unnecessary rimstrips from the RacingZero’s total weight.

Spoke lacing is16 radial spokesup front, sevenradial on the left,and 14 lacedtwo-cross on thedrive side. Thefreehub bodiesare aluminum, as

are the hub shells andaxles. Fulcrum chooses high-quality bearings (Campagnolo would not have it any other way),and one spin of the wheels will telegraph this fact to non-believers.The front wheel weighs 625 grams and the rear 800 grams, whichputs the Fulcrum Racing Zero in close competition with other elitealuminum wheelsets, like the Mavic Ksyrium.

THE RIDEStiff and predictable are the hallmarks of the Racing Zero

wheels. These are the wheels to reach for when your race or ridetakes you into the mountains. The braking surfaces are race-carsmooth, and modulating the brakes is beautifully precise. At 1420grams, the Fulcrum wheels are not as quick on the sprints, but the

F ulcrum’s Racing Zero is the Italian wheelmaker’s best alu-minum wheelset, and 2-Way Fit means that the Zerorim profile accepts tubeless tires without any spe-

cial rim strip. Fulcrum wheels are made at theCampagnolo factory and use exactly the sameextrusions, spokes and manufacturing protocols.Why two brands? Campagnolo realized thatdrivetrain loyalists who prefer SRAM orShimano Dura-Ace are, for the most part,reluctant to display the Campy logo any-where on their bicycles. To expand intothe greater marketplace,Campagnolo initiated the Fulcrumbrand to offer its cutting-edgewheel technology to elite-level rid-ers outside the fold.

THE STORYFulcrum Racing Zero 2-Way

Fit is visually striking, with blackand red rim graphics and red-anodized, aero-profile alu-minum spokes. The hubflanges feature a straight-pullspoke interface, and the spokesare gradually thinned into awide blade as they radiate out-ward towards the rim. The 2-WayFit rim requires no rim strip, as thespokes do not protrude through the upper level of the extrusion toprovide a perfect seal for tubeless tires. Fulcrum wheels are avail-able with Campagnolo or Shimano/SRAM freehub bodies. Thewheels come with dedicated spoke wrenches, quick releases anda Fulcrum wheel bag. The pair weighs 1420 grams without quickreleases and costs in the neighborhood of $1800 for the set.

TECHCampagnolo’s rim manufacturing technique, used on all

Fulcrum wheels, creates a very thin-wall extrusion to reduce

ZERO 2-WAY FITWHEELSET

ZERO 2-WAY FITWHEELSET

Aluminum at its bestBy R. Cunningham

lateral rigidity of the ’Zeros can takewhatever your legs can dish out. Afterthe first three pedal strokes, theFulcrum wheels deliver more power tothe ground, and in a straighter path,than is possible with an ultra-light-weight wheelset. Until you ride a bal-anced wheelset, you will not appreci-ate the smoothness that the FulcrumRacing Zeros bring to the table. Switchback to a non-balanced wheelset andyou will instantly feel the vibration atspeed. We used Hutchinson tubelesstires for half of our test and thenswitched to conventional Vittoriaclinchers to make a comparison. Forstarters, the tubeless tires mountedand inflated without the need for afancy pump or compressor. The ride ofthe tubeless Hutchinson tires wasmeasurably smoother (but we alreadyknew it would be). The Vittoria CorsaCX tires with tubes were about 30grams lighter per side than theHutchinson tires, although there wasno discernible difference in the accel-eration of either setup. Mounting thetires was possible with fingers only,but the Hutchinsons were a tight fit.

RBA’S VERDICTVanity is reason enough to buy

Fulcrum Racing Zero wheels. The red,silver and black graphics and whirlingred spokes can turn an uninspiring,carbon-fiber racing bicycle into an ani-mated expression of power and speed.Beyond the vanity, Racing Zero 2-WayFit wheels deliver elite-level perform-ance and over-the-edge technology toback up their looks. The greater bene-fit of 2-Way Fit is that the tubelessoption brings an added measure ofsafety (they can run flat), lower rollingresistance, and greater comfort. Asmore tire makers join the tubelessmovement, Fulcrum Racing Zero rid-ers will be ready to taste their fruits. Ifa better, standard variety clinchershows up, they will be able to takeadvantage of that also.

Price: $1800 (including quick releases, tools and carry-bag)Weight: 1420 grams (without quick releases)Contact: www.fulcrumwheels.com

www.trpbrakes.com

what’s stopping you?

COMING TO AMERICA SPRING 2009

www.trigonbicycles.com

CARBON FRAMESCOMPONENTS

RBA


TRAITOR RUBENThe Ruben is named after the shop dog and designed to be a versatile

commuter bike with cyclocross-inspired geometry and disc brakes that makeit suited to bad-weather commuting. The Ruben is constructed of double-butted Japanese 4130 chromoly, and the frame weighs 4.5 pounds. TheRuben is available in three sizes and comes in Oil Rig, Scribble green/whiteand Old School grey/chrome paint schemes.

Info: www.traitorcycles.comPrice: $609 USD Frame and Fork

SEVEN CYCLES V IISeven’s top-of-the-line carbon V II features full custom carbon

construction and a strikingly aero profile. The unique framedesign allows for the V II to come in 27 sizes for a perfect fit.The proprietary, multi-modulus carbon tubing also allows theV II to be ordered with an extended head tube for an evenmore custom fit. The V II is also available with custom paintand decals.

Price: $4395 (frame)Info: www.sevencycles.com

LYNSKEY HOUSEBLEND HELIXThe spiral-shaped tube design really stands out. It increases the stiff-

ness and structural integrity of the tube without adding additionalweight. The spiral tube was designed to best handle the differentloads a frame is under during braking, accelerating, climbing anddescending, while still providing the ride and feel that titanium bikesare known for.

Price: $4495.99Info: www.lynskeyperformance.com

HARO MAXWELLThe Maxwell sits atop Haro’s line of commuter bikes and fea-

tures a Metro series, disc-brake-specific, lightweight aluminumframe mated to a carbon fiber, disc-brake-specific fork. TheMaxwell uses a Shimano nine-speed drivetrain with a Shimano XTrear derailleur, Shimano M486 hydraulic disc brakes and aRitchey cockpit that includes a Ritchey adjustable stem.

Price: $1195Info: www.harobikes.com

RALEIGH SOJOURNThe Raleigh Sojourn is designed for touring and long commutes.

The frame is constructed with Reynolds 520 butted chromoly tubingwith CNC-machined dropouts, spoke holders and a pump peg. Thefork is a 4130 chromoly cyclocross design with mounts for disc brakes.Shifting is handled by Shimano Tiagra and Deore derailleurs that aremated to nine-speed Dura Ace bar-end shifters. Raleigh finished off theSojourn with a classic khaki paint job.

Price: $1225Info: www.raleighusa.com

in the mix

on the streetsARUNDEL CHRONO BOTTLE AND CAGE

The Arundel Chrono bottle and cage combo is specifically shaped forraces against the clock, including triathlons. The shape pays special atten-tion to the mechanics of releasing and inserting the bottle in the cage. Forexample, the countersunk surfaces on the bottle form a seamless interfacewith the cage. The cap on the bottle is an industry standard with a mouthwide enough to use ice cubes or sports drink powder.

Price: $79.99Info: www.arundelbike.com

THOMSON ELITE X2 STEMThe Thomson X2 for Road allows you to utilize

the benefits of stiffer 1.125-inch forks and 31.8 han-dlebars. The X2 is designed to provide precise steer-

ing and more control while riding. The Thomson X2features a lighter, two-bolt handlebar clamp, butthe interlocking handlebar clamp makes it as tor-

sionally strong as other four-bolt designs. The X2 hasa low, 36mm stack height and is available in two rise

options: 10 degrees and 17 degrees. Both the 10- and 17-degree stems can be run with a positive or negative rise.

Price: $100Info: www.lhthomson.com

SKS RACE BLADE FENDERSRace Blades are designed for 19- to 23-millimeter tires, while Race

Blade XLs are for 23- to 32-millimeter tires. The SKS Race Blade fenders arewhat SKS terms “quick-release fenders.” They are designed to fit road bikeswhere the frame and fork are void of fender eyelets, or the frame designdoesn’t allow mounting, like with aero frames. Race Blade fenders allowthe owners of these bikes to still ride with the basic protection of fenders.Race Blades are available in black, silver and carbon.

Price: $50Info: www.sks-germany.com

JAGWIRE BARCON TRIATHLON SHIFTERMOUNTS

The BarCon is a simple solution that allows external mounting of bothSRAM and Shimano bar end shifting systems. The BarCon’s low-profiledesign keeps weight down, and its external mounting is adjustable for fine-tuning lever position. While originally designed for triathlon bikes, theBarCon can be used with a variety of bars, including H-type handlebars,touring-style drop bars, and recumbent bike handlebars.

Price: $75Info: www.JaguarUSA.com

RBA

119Road Bike Action

last shotRBA

The peloton descends atAmstel-Gold.

Photo: Yuzuru Sunada


off the rivetRBA

By Phil Booth

It started when a friend took me on my first ride. I was hooked.A few more rides, and I decided it was time to get my own bike.Next came the Lycra shorts, the jersey and clipless pedals. ThenI eventually got fitted and even signed up for my first organizedride and started racing. I even passed the failing to unclip andfalling over at a stoplight initiation. I was now fully committed tothe cycling lifestyle. Despite my new lifestyle it still took a coupleof years to take the final step, pick up a razor and commit. Thereis one last step any new rider must take to be fully accepted intothe cycling herd: shaving your legs. It’s a huge commitment, and

one that should not betaken lightly. It

goes againstevery socialnorm and canoften drawridicule andshunning fromnon-cycling friends andfamily. I’ve done it, and I’m nowdetermined to help you cross that line andjoin the herd.

For some the commitment is easy, while others, like myself,it takes years to finally pick up a razor. Sadly there are afew that will never commit and will spend their entire cyclinglives on the outside looking in. If you have decided to take theplunge and fully commit, don’t bother asking why–there is nogood or truthful reason. The “reason” for cyclist shaving theirlegs varies greatly depending on whom you ask. Some will saythat it is for aerodynamics; some say its better for the muscleswhen getting a massage. Other’s say its so you will slide acrossthe asphalt better when crashing and keeps the wound cleaner.The truth is all of these are lies passed down from one cyclist toanother in a futile attempt to justify such behavior.

To be honest I have yet to see wind tunnel data on shaved legsversus unshaved and doubt there is much difference. Plus, if thedrag created by hair was such a concern, one must ask whycyclist don’t shave their arms and their heads. Think how muchtime could be saved if the airflow through a helmet wasn’t con-stricted by locks of wet, sweaty hair (Maybe this is why LeviLeipheimer is so fast). If crashing were really such a concernthen people would be wearing suits of armor and full face hel-mets instead of a thin layer of Lycra and head colanders madeof Styrofoam. Finally, other than professional cyclists few peopleget enough massages for hair to have a negative effect. Despitethe myths surrounding cyclists shaving their legs, the factremains it continues to be the symbol of one’s commitment to

the bicycle. Once you have made the commitment, you will needa few basic questions answered.

The first and most important question is, how high do youshave? Basically, there are four levels. The first is the “boardshort shave,” in which one only shaves to just above the shortline. This is the least amount of commitment that a person canmake and still shave one’s legs. This method also leads to thedreaded hairy candy corn look when not wearing cycling shorts.This occurs when a thin strip of shaved yet pale skin breaks thetan line and the hairline. There is also the risk of one’s shortsriding up and exposing the unshaven upper thigh. This will draw

laughter and ridicule from cyclistsand non-cyclists alike.

The next is the “boxershave.” This particularshave occurs when oneshows a higher level ofcommitment but is unsure

about where to stop. Afterthat there is the “briefs

shave” where one fully com-mits and shaves all the way to the

pelvic area. Finally there is the“Speedo shave”, which is self-explanatory

and should never be mentioned or discussed inpublic.

Another question that is never asked, and is not somethinggenerally taught in high school health class, is how to actuallyshave one’s legs. You’ll get a closer shave if you shave in theshower after your skin has loosened up by warm water. If youhave never shaved it is a good idea to trim the hair first with aset of hair clippers. This will save time and stop the razor frombecoming clogged with hair. Go slow and change razors often toavoid nicks. Some people swear that using a dull razor preventscuts, but to be honest the first time you shave you are going tocut yourself, you will bleed, and yes it will hurt. Using shavingcream will also help protect the skin from nicks and cuts. Ifyou’re nervous about cutting yourself, or are particularly hairyyou can take the easy way out and use an electric razor instead.

If you feel your commitment level is greater than leg shavingcan demonstrate there are far more painful and expensiveoptions of waxing, plucking, electrolysis or lasers. Waxing andplucking are the best long term, and I repeat painful, options asit takes a while for the hair to grow back once it has been rippedfrom the skin. Whatever method you chose, welcome to the herd.

Committed; com·mit·teda: to put into charge or trust: entrust

b: to place in a prison or mental institution

Ads_2.indd 2 2/26/09 2:38:06 PM

Road Bike Action aosto

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