10 An Open Letter To Günter Mai : Getting Closer to Sub 7

Reference : The 7 Pound Road Bike [VeloNews]


Dear Günter,


You're a hunter...

..for light weightiness.

You're also an awesome dude, you know that right?

I mean, I just realized you're the sole winner of the Cold War of the weightweenie bike race. Readers will be reminded that this is not an actual bike race, but a race to simply build the lightest complete bike on the planet. And then take lots of pictures.

Günter, I bet this bike that you've built will make your commutes easier.

I also bet it will make loading and unloading off the bike rack 10% more swifter.

That means a lot in avoiding excruciating pain and getting ready to commute faster.

Pity! All we, the rest of us do instead is read whimsical folklore from stupid internet bike forums like "Oh, you could lose 2 pounds off your body for free versus paying millions to get lightweight components..." etc...etc

Even that statement is actually a misnomer. You can't lose weight for free.

It takes a lot of vomiting.

And one has to eat food to vomit.

That food is bought initially from the supermarket.

Hence, losing weight is not free.

Anyway...

....Indeed, we're all excited for your 7.04 pound bike. Wait, so how much did you spend on it again? Wait, are you married?



You know, I just realized that my personal Lenovo notebook I'm typing through at the moment is about 7.04 pounds. I cannot tell you how satisfied I am that there are so many everyday things around me that I can pick up to get an idea of how much 7 pounds actually is.

Amazing, no?

In fact, I think you may very well be responsible for this devouring sickness of mine. For the past few months, I've been studiously picking up everything from spoons, forks and other cutlery...to plastic spades, rolls of toilet paper, my fat wallet and other biodegradable items such as stacks of my shaved-off leg hair and end up telling myself:


"Wow, that must weigh about the same as Günter's bike!"


Now..now.. you must be a rich German guy, I know...but it hurts me to see your floundering extravagance. See, normally poor people see a rich guy and say bullshit about him. I'm not like that I assure you.

All I want to see you do is save up some of that money so you can get...

...Campy Super Record 11!!! Have you imagined what that could do for you???

It could give you one extra gear!!

Yay!

Anyway, I must stop fiddling around now and come to the real matter at hand.

Sssshhh....come closer. Let me tell you something.

I bet as we speak, M2racer, CC-Schnecke, Death_on2Wheels and other weightweenie notables like Philip:Featherman and iBone are hot on on your wheels to build a bike weighing 7.0 pounds or lighter...

Before you do!!

As terrifying as that sounds, you must calm down as I propose a simple solution to narrow down your bike's weight without spending wads and wads of cash.

Before you reference my previous post on The Ideal Weightweenie and say "I know what it is dummy", I'll have to interfere quickly and say , "No, thats not it."

Okay, before further weightage, here it is.

Ready?

Günter, do you know the world's highest paved road?

No, its not Alpe d'Huez silly. Balls to Alpe d'Huez.

Here, in good ol' America, there is a bad boy named Mt. Evans.

On a bright summer day, when the roads are open, you just may find yourself standing at 14,000 feet above sea level when you're at its peak.

Amazing isn't it?

Now... have you imagined what would happen if you biked up there on your 7.04 pounder, dismounted and brought out your weighing scale?

Okay.

Here's the equation alright. Don't ask me which dark cave I brought it out from, that will come in another post later on.

The formula for weight, as according to my college buddy one Mr. Newton, is really describing the gravitational force F between two objects, in this case, them being :

1) The Earth whose mass is "M"

2) Your bike whose mass is "m"

where,

G = Universal Gravitational Constant

r = Distance between the objects = Radius of the good ol' earth + Height of the bike above the surface of the same

Since I didn't feel healthy in the mind to delve into Einstein's Theory of General Relativity at this moment, I took the easier weigh, I mean, way out.

Now, the radius of the earth in feet is 6378137 m.

And on top of Mt. Evans, 140000 feet above sea level = 4267.2 m.

So r = 6378137 + 4267.2 = 6382404.2 m




The Universal Gravitational Constant, G is roughly [6.67 x 10^-11] m cube per kg per sec squared.

Mass of your bike, Gunter is m = 3.19 kg

And the Earth's mass M = [5.97 x 10^24] kg


Calculating for F :




So there you have it.

That's a 0.4% decrease in weight from your 7.04 pounds. And I bet as a weightweenie, you're a stickler for tiny lightweight numbers.

And you know what 7.009 pounds is like?

Its precisely equivalent to my personal Lenovo notebook minus the USB flash drive that I had initally plugged in.

You cannot simply discount that reality, can you?

Neither can I.

In the war for the lightest bike, every milligram counts. And you know it better than I do, I would suppose.

We got closer to the magic sub 7 kilo grams. Note that this is only Mount Evans. You can additionally climb up to Mount Everest, or even better still, and highly recommended by Lance Armstrong's brother Neil Armstrong, load up your bike into a KC-135 Vomit Comet and fly up to 26,000 feet to shave off additional grams. (I think this is what Lance did to his bike before the '05 Tour...I can't seem to remember)

Those grams are just sitting there on your bike like vermin loading your precious with down pressure everyday. Get rid of it!!

Now I'll have to go now, but I wish you all the best in your endeavors. Do not pick my words lightly, as you have picked up your 7.04 bike up several times before.

Bye now...



...


...



...Wait...there's something!

Did Weightweenie members M2racer, CC-Schnecke, Death_on2Wheels and other notables like Philip:Featherman and iBone just read what I wrote??

Ooops...

21 Riding a Century Vs Running A Marathon : Things to Consider

It is very likely that the often beaten-to-death topic "Oh, I wonder whats more difficult, running a marathon or riding a century" pops up in our minds. Its a good question nevertheless, one that makes for a good round-the-table or commuting-to-a-race conversation.

A little Google search for a calorie counter could get you the most quoted answer - a marathon is more difficult to do.

As a bike rider, I'll probably tell you the same thing.

But why is running more difficult?

Before you make this a black and white paradigm, there are many things to consider.

I've outlined them in this little chart below. Note that for every factor considered, I've attached a "Pain Factor", a weightage number anywhere from 0-10. Ofcourse, I could be biased in assigning numbers but I hope you see the big picture and not just concentrate on figures.

Let me know if any of the information is wrong, or if I've missed out additional factors to consider. Also, your perspectives in riding and running are also welcome.

Click Above to Zoom

UPDATE : JAN 3, 2009

There is couple more important things I seemed to have missed. This may require the pain factor to be adjusted, but I'm not going to do it. Just consider these two points :

1) Cycling is definitely more forgiving to age and weight than marathon running. Sure, the folks with good power to weight ratios get uphills faster, but heavier riders go downhill quicker. And thinner riders may not be the best time trialists, but heavier, more muscular riders can pedal steady bigger gears for longer periods of time. Running also gets difficult with age. As you age, you lose bone mass, your muscles atrophy, and your achilles tendon or shin will at some point say no to the things you could easily do when you were in your 20's. However, cycling features pushing a series of gears so you can always make your task easier by selecting the right gear.

2) Center of Gravity : Running, especially a marathon, is definitely impact intensive. It also involves the bobbing up and down of the body, or more specifically, the center of mass. To raise your mass and lower it, and raise it again all the while stabilizing your body weight on two feet for many many cycles definitely requires energy. In cycling, the center of gravity is more stable. Pedals, saddles and handlebars act as support points for your body weight. A lot of your work in trying to remain upright is taken care of by the bike itself.

0 Moulton Stops Blogging, Lance's Leadville Machine, Cycling Injury Checklist....

Good afternoon to you all. Hope the weather is nice out there wherever you are and your legs are sore from angry rides this week. Lets see whats the buzz in velo world. I also call them "cycling shorts", a perfect pun for short news.

Some safety moments to start off first....



1. Cyclist's Collision Checklist : Say you unfortunately got into a collision with a vehicle while riding your bike. What must you do? Read this.Obviously its hard to keep your head straight after taking the shock and injury related with the fall, but nevertheless, its pays to have an idea of what actions to take to ensure your safety post-collision. There are 9-10 basic steps to follow, but missing some, if not the important ones, may still lead to you getting your compensation. Make a printout if you have to and stick one on your refrigerator.




2. Miami Cabbie Rams Into 11 Cyclists :


Wonderful cabbie fell asleep at the wheel on a nice morning. What happens next?

The appalling picture above speaks for itself. Read the entire story on the incident here.




3. TREK Project One : TREK's Project One, the bike customization app through TREK's website, will go live on September 9th this year. Though I don't own a new Madone myself, I deem you'll have pleasure in coloring your own bike and making it look the way you want, even though you'll still ride at the same speed.


The New P-One is apprently free! - no price increases and the bike will still be delivered in 2 weeks. Read more here.




4. Lance's Leadville Machine : Speaking of TREK, almost all of you may have seen Lance deliver in this year's Leadville 100, the first official bike race he has attempted since retiring as an animal some 2-3 years ago.

What did he ride at the race? Curious? Word is that this bike was 2 pounds lighter than the one he was originally planning to race on. Read more here.

TREK 9.9 Top Fuel

5. Dave Moulton Stops Writing : Everyone's favorite bike blogger and ex-framebuilder Dave Moulton, has decided to call it quits on his blog. As much as I loved reading many of his quality articles on various topics in biking, I also respect his decision to do something else for a change. Blogging is not life. I wish him the very best.

Read more here on what Dave had to say on his decision. I encourage you to dig into his articles if you haven't yet.




6. The New Amsterdam Project : Finally, businesses are changing the way they do things due to rising energy prices. One bicycle related casestudy in Cambridge, MA that appeared on cable news a while back :

3 2008 Tour de Bemus Road Race

32 Miles
2300-2400 Ft Climbing


A very hot day on Saturday saw me and my buddy, Neon Thunder, from East Aurora at the Tour de Bemus Point - a hilly, 32 mile circuit road race in Bemus Point, NY. Thunder's familiar Red Volkswagon Golf is always a pleasure to be in and Thunder happens to be a good driver...well, most of the time.

Neon Thunder

Bemus Pt is a lakefront village on the shore of the Chautauqua Lake. On a summer day, its gorgeous to be out here, especially by the waterside. Go motor boating, scuttle through myriad restaurants, buy ice cream, or take a break at the park - do whatever you want and chances are it could be pretty relaxing.

We decided to go to this race pretty late in the week, and my legs were already tired from commuting by bike to work everyday, climbing intervals on Monday and Thursday and whatnot. Nevertheless, I just decided to stick in the pack somewhere, or ride my own race. No records to be broken here.

A small but competitive field turned out for the Cat 4/5 race.

I've heard of 'rape by force'.

But this is the first time I've seen 'rape by presence'. Team Hollyloft was everywhere! It almost looked like this race was going to be a mega team time trial for them.

Hence, my team, team AA, a.k.a the teamless team was far overwhelmed through seeing dull yellow and orange jerseys all day. You know, they should re-design their jerseys so that those behind looking at them get angrier and race faster.

Wait, is that a valid excuse for poor performance?

Anyway, so the race consisted of a 9.1 mile basic loop that we went around for 2 laps. The initial sections are nowhere flat and its demanding to be at the front here and not lose touch with the pack. Its a no-brainer that you must be pretty fresh for the day and good at climbing to have any lucky chances.

Basic Loop - Laps 1 and 2

The third lap was the basic loop added with a bonus half loop, presenting us with a surprise climb.

Lap 3 - Bonus loop with bonus everything...

Some riders I talked to said the bonus deal was totally unnecessary.

Sure.

Remember this though. Racing is all about driving an average of 50 miles from God knows where, paying 30 bucks to enlist in a pack of riders as confused as you, getting dropped on a course someone else decides, and finally driving back home, paying for gas both ways. This is the hard life of an amateur "competitive cyclist".

Yay!

Bonus Hill - Roughly 2 miles at 4% grade

All sarcasm removed, kudos to all in Team Hollyloft for organizing a good race weekend!

Results Cat 4/5 (Click Here for Other Results)



Registration area...after the race

Start/Stop Point

Holler gets third!! Hollyloft %$#^#$!@!!

Blue overkill

Lunch at the Italian Fisherman (If you ever find yourself at Bemus Point, don't miss out eating here)

The back of the Restaurant has a floating deck

Sangies.... Fresh Catch Of the Day! Yum.

Awards ceremony over on the other side. We wont be receiving any today....

Chill and watch the water as you lunch

Occasionally, an old person trying to tie his boat to the pier and about to fall off into the water will provide entertainment.. okay, I shouldn't laugh about that..

5 ILLUM Cycling Jacket, Protecting Your Banana & More

Hope you all are having a great weekend planned ahead. Meanwhile, over at the Beehive headquarters, I've come across some points I'd like to pollinate. Catch 'em quick!


1. The Ride To Modernity : The Bicycle In Canada (1869-1900) - Read the real story of Canada's encounter with the bicycle in the late nineteenth century, set in the context of the cultural movement known as 'modernity.' Glen Norcliffe covers the bicycle's history from about 1869, when the first bicycle appeared in Canada, until about 1900, a date that marks the end of the era in which bicycles were a recognized symbol of modernity & social status.



2. Fat America - We cyclists are fortunate or maybe unfortunate to be among the healthy, fit and crazy ones, but have you ever wondered what are some of the fattest states in America? Well, if you didn't catch a copy of 2008's F as in Fat Report by the Trust For America's Health organization, you might like to take a look at the PDF here.

So quickly, here are the stats :



I bet the nice greasy southern food down there has a role to play in obesity rates. As to how these states were ranked, you need to check out the pdf file for the whole report.




3. Banana Guards - Everytime I pack my banana in my jersey pocket, and take it out on a ride to munch off it, its not a banana anymore, but a nice squashed banana sauce. Then I know what I'm missing. Yes, a straw for sure!

But there's one more thing though...

A hard case for your banana! Why didn't someone think of this before?

If you're a frustrated riding eater like me, get this banana guard for 7.49 bucks, and shove that banana in it! Click here.

Hey, that shape doesn't suit my banana...! I need custom made guards!

Now Compagnolo needs to think up a full 3k carbon fiber body for it and supply it with their "Super Duper Record 12" accessory kit next year. Then we can all go faster with our protected bananas.




4.
Now in the past, I did mention two "wearable" illuminated cycling jackets for signaling turns and riding intent to motorists at night. One was the Reactive Cycling Jacket and the other was the E-Textile Turn Signal Jacket. Now a similar jacket called Illium, designed by the PDD Product Innovation and Consultation company, has shown its face.

The jacket is a self charging, powered external shell, uses an electroluminiscnet print, activated by a graphical soft switch, that provides 360 degrees of light source.

Photovoltaic solar cells are located on the back of the shoulder, neck and small of the back. The illumination effect of the ILLUM Cycling Jacket is powered by a solar charged thin film battery which activates the lighting by means of a transparent conductive layer. The illumination can be switched with a soft switch on the sleeve.

By far, this is looking to be the coolest illuminated, wearable fabric and it remains to be seen whether it comes out in the market soon for sale. Read more here.




5. Now I have to race early tomorrow morning, so I've got to end the words here. But quickly, whats the funniest video on Youtube right now??

I don't know, there are many....but this one takes my points.

Will the U.S get Rick Rolled after the elections? Drum your fingers...enjoy....

7 Olympics Games Or Gene Games? Repoxygen

This may interest the likes of Cycling Fans Anonymous.

Courtesy : Science News

Repoxygen is the tradename for a type of gene therapy that induces controlled release of erythropoietin (EPO) in response to low oxygen concentration. It is has been developed by Oxford Biomedica to treat anaemia. It has been developed in mice, is still in preclinical development and has not been extensively tested in humans [Wikipedia].

What could this mean for cycling?

Sorry for the bad scan job. I was sitting in a public library while reading the latest copy of Science News, and the lighting was not the best. Alternatively, you can read the electronic article here [Finding The Golden Genes, Patrick Barry, Aug 13 2008].







Basically, using hormones and other drugs to get dope into your system could be a thing of the past. Repoxygen, although hard to obtain, uses the natural abilities of a virus to deliver a therapeutic gene to an anemic patient's DNA. That gene will have the encoded protein, erythropoetin in it. Since this gene is similar to the patient's original gene, the 'camaflouging' is hard to detect.

Endurance can also be boosted by a gene encoding a protein called peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR-delta) . The scanned article as shown above, referring to studies done by the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California, states :

"Mice engineered to have extra copies of this gene hopped onto a treadmill and, without ever having trained, ran about twice as fast as the unaltered mice. The extra PPAR-Delta improved the ability of the mice's muscles to use fat molecules for energy, and it shifted the animal's ratio of muscle fiber types from fast twitch toward slow twitch fibers - a change that would improve muscle endurance in people as well."

As far as I have learnt in biology, fiber ratios are genetically determined. But this form of gene quirk can blow all that out of the water. Now you may not even need to exercise to up your performance.

The dark question lurks : Are any athletes using repoxygen at the Olympics?

1 Dura Ace Price Comparisons, Thomson Seatpost Design, What Phelps Listens To...

Holler, ya'll ! Here's some fresh pollinations from the Hive for this week. Enjoy reading!

1. Fastest Bike On The Planet? While not many medals are coming the Kiwi's way in cycling at Beijing this year, they sure have put some nice kits and bikes on their riders.

At the Laoshan Velodrome in Beijing on August 15, NZ track rider Alison Shanks was racing on a new Zen TK8.

A few years ago, Zen Sports in collaboration with Dynamic Composites had built Sarah Ulmer the Zen TK001 prototype, on which she broke the World Championship record at Melbourne and later won a gold medal at the Athens Olympics in the Women's 3000m individual pursuit [Look here for more details]

What will be interesting to learn is whether the older bike was a base model upon which to design the new improved TK8 which Alison is riding on this year at Beijing.

A. Shanks with the new Zen

That may seem to be the case. For four years ever since Athens, mechanical engineer and Zen Sports founder, Milton Bloomfield, developed the bike he hoped will propel NZ's track cyclists to gold at Beijing, just as he did in Athens with Sarah Ulmer.

There are 2 interesting videos of the bike on the web.

1. Watch the unveiling of the bike on 3 News.
2. Watch the design and testing of the bike.

Cost? The second video above claims thousands of hours have gone into the making of the bike and quotes Milton as saying "I don't keep a record, it scares me". Since time=money, that cost figure must be plenty scary! Let me guess, a million dollars again?




2. Carbon Nanotubes a Health Threat?


The Guardian, based on a major study in Nature Nanotechnology, writes that scientists think long form carbon nanotubes could pose a similar cancer risk like asbestos.

Although there has been no demonstration that it could cause cancer, the article states :

"In most products containing nanotubes, such as car body panels, tennis rackets, yacht masts and bike frames, the fibres are embedded in composite materials, which provide strength and lightness. In this form the cylindrical molecules of carbon are likely to be relatively harmless.But the researchers say further studies are necessary to confirm it; it cannot be assumed that people could not be exposed to carbon nanotubes held in materials."

Tell you what, to be on the safe side, dont go on sniffing your sexy carbon frame for a weird fetish, wear a mask if you'd like while cutting a carbon steerer tube, and just don't go on dumping cycling inventory everywhere in a landfill after you're done with them like you always do. I just don't want to end up eating it later on, understood?!

Read more on this topic HERE and HERE.




3. Thomson Seatpost Design : One of the few cycling companies I absolutely revere and offer Sunday prayers for is Thomson Manufacturing. When they make something, they bloody damn engineer it well.



I thought this was a little interesting. From their website :

"The Thomson seatpost design incorporates a bending fuse to prevent catostrophic failure. All brand-x seatposts we tested - every one of them - failed in catastrophic failure with the seat and clamp components - and sometimes pieces of the tube and head - flying off in all directions. This type of failure would dump the rider."

I'm sold! As soon as the fuse goes off, my butt is in danger. Hey, its not bad knowing that, right?!




4. Shimano Dura Ace 7800 Crank Price Comparison

Here's an interesting phenomenon. The Nextag website allows you to compare prices of products on the web, and at times, also throws some price history charts at you.

I compared two such charts for the 10 speed Dura Ace cranks, one for 170 mm crank length and another for 175 mm. I'm not really sure how accurate these graphs are, where the website is sourcing its information from, and how many sellers its sourcing price data from...but here they are :

Dura Ace 170mm crank

Dura Ace 175 mm crank

So from the data above for the past years, prices for 170mm have been going down while there hasn't been much difference for the 175mm crank.

So what is this telling me?

1. I'm better off buying 170mm cranks to save money after peak season.
2. Mid September is peak price season. 170mm sold for more then, at around 420 dollars.
3. More consumers have been buying 170mm cranks as opposed to the longer ones, since 170mm fits a majority of the population.
4. Demand and supply 101 blah blah...

Feel free to educate me. I'm not a finance guy. You can check out the original graphs here.




5. Cycling Discounts for Active Service Members

Did you know? I found this on Competitive Cyclists' FAQ page :

"We're so close to the Little Rock Air Force Base that we can feel the rumbling of low-flying C-130's as they skim the roof of our warehouse. We've earned the business of scores of cyclists stationed at the LRAFB. And in the years we've been in business, we've been lucky enough to befriend members of the US military all across the globe. We're deeply grateful for their daily sacrifices in defending our freedom. We want to show our appreciation by offering a 10% discount everyday on every purchase for active duty members of the US military. The discount is valid whether you're stationed in the US or overseas. Proof of service will be required. Please note that our military discount cannot be combined with any other discount."

Now you wish you joined the Army, yeah? No wait...

6.

Finally, I have to say that there is so much mumbo jumbo around what Michael Phelps eats, drinks, sleeps on, drives etc etc that I'm sheepishly adding some fuel to the fire to present what Phelps reportedly listens to on his IPOD. It doesn't particularly entertain me, but hey, if it'll help me get an Olympic gold....whatever!

Language warning...

0 On Leather Saddles and Cycling Shorts

Witty wisdom from none other than the late 'Captain Bike' :

Most leather saddles are dyed black. Oiling the saddle will partially dissolve the dye, which will stain on your clothes. This is why cycling shorts are black. Wear light colors at your own risk! If you must wear day-glo pink shorts, put a seatcover on the saddle.

Read more on leather saddles here.

Well ofcourse, there are a handful of other good reasons behind wearing black cycling shorts. I'll be discreet to mention them here. Here's a picture for starters.

6 Wolf SL Fork Failure 2

I don't like to repeat scenarios but here's another Wolf SL Fork failure situation. I posted a similar one some months back [See previous post].




I found this on the Cervelo forum. The thread starter, Haroon said :

I bought my Soloist SLC-SL in March '07 (just over a year) ridden about ~6,500 miles and yesterday the fork failed. See picture.

I don't want to be an alarmist but no matter what top of the line bike you have - Cervelo or Colnago, carbon fiber will be carbon fiber. This scenario, in particular, is a pretty dangerous one and if you love your family... you would take precautions installing something like a fork with a carbon steerer tube. I'd always rethink which local bike shop I let handle the installation.

Someone from the same thread posted his own picture of Wolf SL fork nearing failure. The carve on the tube is what will eventually lead to a breakage. Take care, riders! I keep posting pictures like this to remind you that fork failures are not FUN! There is no sane reason whatsoever to risk life in order to enjoy your favorite sport.

4 Beijing Picture Dump

Who caught their heads....

....In descending order of joy, in ascending order of disgust...

Emma Pooley - 2nd in TT

Hanka Kupfernagel - not too pleased

Stephan Schumacher - no hope


Spanish IOC officials after Moreno's doping - absolutely no hope


...what a shame that cycling had to open the Olympic doping account...



What the Olympic track course looks like


Hmm... not seen this before. Riders pass a water spray cooling station in the Men's Road Race

Michael Friedman of the U.S. rides a China-made Flying Pigeon bicycle before track cycling practice during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 12, 2008

Check out Robert Fostermann's arms and legs... (think about the sharply contrasting emaciated road cyclists on the other end)


Pedal power, or..... air power? Watch out Coach!!

Hold on to your faith...

....skulls and crossbones....hell yyyyeah!!!


Rene Enders - Clipless pedals + Toe straps.. seems like feet overkill to me

Now don't you say Russia didn't ask for it...


Levi's new position - wind tunnel tests confirm aerodynamics