Cycling Spartanburg: 2013

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Spartanburg Winter Bike League 2014

Spartanburg Winter Bike League 2014

Weather alerts/cancellations/delays will be emailed as soon as possible each week, no later than 8 am Saturday morning.

Sign in/check in at BikeStreet USA by 9:30 am, announcements 9:45 am, roll out 10 am

February 8 -- 2 open zones, 80 mis

Route http://ridewithgps.com/routes/4007834\

A Group

Zone 1 -- West Springs climb zone (+/- 3 mis)

Zone 2 -- Jerusalem Rd in-bound 6-7 mis

B Group TBD (please contact me only if you can lead

February 1 -- 3 open zones, 77 mis

A Group

Route http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/351130999

Zone 1 -- Greenpond Rd

Zone 2 -- Horseshoe Falls climb from park entrance, return

Zone 3 -- Old Hills Bridge Rd to Hwy 50

B Group

TBD

January 18 -- Open Zones

A Group

Route -- Buffalo loop (approx. 71 mis): http://ridewithgps.com/routes/3829975

Open Zone 1 -- Mudbridge Rd outbound (approx. 6-7 mis); store stop after
Open Zone 2 -- Morris Bridge/Hobbysville inbound (approx. 4.5 mis)

B Group

Dietmar, ride leader

50 miles

Route: http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/346677975

Tentative Schedule 2013/2014:

December 7, 14, 21*; January 4, 11, 18, 25; February 1, 8

[*December 28 will be the Winter Century; see Richard White's emails and please join us.]

Sponsor: Spartanburg Globalbike club team (http://globalbike.org/)

Co-Sponsor/ B-ride: Spartanburg Freewheelers (http://www.freewheelers.info/)

Host: BikeStreet USA Spartanburg (http://bikestreetusa.com/store-locator/spartanburg)

SPARTANBURG
106 Franklin Avenue
Spartanburg, SC 29301
M-F 10am-6pm Sa 10am-5pm
864-595-3645

Route #2, December 21: 70+ mis, to old TdP route; store stop approx. 40-mis mark

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/3764668

Route #1, December 7, 2013: 60 mis with Horseshoe Falls loop; store stop approx. 37-38 mis mark

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/3713761

A and B groups will follow the same course above.

A group SAG has been confirmed.

B group leader: Karl Johnson, B-pace, no drops

Purpose: Base miles and training for racing and/or major events such as the Assault and other spring/early summer centuries

Details:

• No charge for these events (SAG donations recommended)

• Sign in at BikeStreet USA by 9:30 am, announcements 9:45 am, roll out 10 am (starts may be delayed for extreme cold; changes will be emailed by 8 am Saturdays)

• Open roads, obey all traffic laws, ride 2-abreast, safety FIRST

• Routes, distances TBD, varying from 60-100+ mis. Routes will be posted before each ride so be sure to have the route with you for the ride! Courses will NOT be marked. Routes will be designed to include store stops.

• December rides will be steady A-pace or B-pace (as appropriate for each group), brief regrouping as needed, possibly one open zone; ride lengths from 60-80 miles with different routes each week

• Annual winter century (formerly "Terry's Taproom Century") falls on Saturday, December 28, thus no SWBL will be posted

• January to mid-February A-rides will have 2-4 open zones, steady A-pace between zones, regroup (within reason) as needed (similar to weekday zone rides in Spartanburg during the summer), lengths from 60-100+ mis with different routes each week

• Riders should be experienced, in shape, and willing to ride safely in large groups; not for beginners

• Ride will be "at your own risk" and you need to be self-sufficient (proper equipment, know the routes, have your cell phone, etc.) Be sure to have $$$ for the store stops.

• Sags will be sought out, but provided only as we can arrange; if we have a sag, we'll ask for voluntary $$ to support the sag

• Weather permitting; cancellations announced by EMAIL by 8 am Saturdays

• Re-schedule rides may be posted on Sunday

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Cycle Safe and Civil: A Statement of Joining Posted Group Rides

1) By coming to a posted ride you are in fact agreeing to abide by all guidelines either posted with the ride, communicated to you at the pre-ride meeting or referenced by the ride leader(s) during the ride. Ignoring these guidelines is not an option. Those who lead our rides deserve our support as otherwise they may decide it’s not worth the effort to organize, post and lead rides.

2) If you have a problem with someone or some behavior for any reason during a ride, please let the ride leader(s) know and he/they will deal with the problem. Please do not verbally or physically threaten anyone as we believe all cyclists should feel safe.

3) I propose that we designate multiple ride leaders (can be done just before the ride) who will deal with any major disagreements as a leadership group.

4) Safety includes obeying all traffic laws, most notably riding two abreast and not crossing the yellow/white line into oncoming traffic.

5) All cyclists on a ride are responsible for themselves and all other cyclists in the group. Everyone has a duty and right to speak to safety concerns and we would ask that this be done in the spirit of civility even when attempting to address dangerous or disruptive behavior.

Friday, March 29, 2013

Want to Buy a New Bicycle?

Rule #12
// The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.

While the minimum number of bikes one should own is three, the correct number is n+1, where n is the number of bikes currently owned. This equation may also be re-written as s-1, where s is the number of bikes owned that would result in separation from your partner.

-----

I am neither a bicycle dealer nor a professional bicycle mechanic.

I have been riding bicycles seriously for about 30 years, owning over 40 different bicycles. For much of that time, I have been my own mechanic and always buy my bicycles in parts and build them myself.

Since our local cycling community is both vibrant and often growing, I thought I'd discuss briefly some tips and ideas for the inevitable—the urge to buy a new bicycle.

First, I am basically jumping past buying your first serious bicycle for road cycling, which, as I will touch on below, is likely best accomplished at your local bicycle shop. A stock road bicycle from a major manufacturer purchased at a local bicycle shop is a great deal, even more so today than 20 or 30 years ago.

If you are a first-time buyer, my main quibble with stock bicycles and local shops is bicycles are now set up to be marketable—stem-stack too high (space between the top of the head tube and the stem that attaches to your handle bars), brake/shifters turned upward too much, stem angled upward. While this set up is marketable since it puts new riders in a more upright position, it makes new riders far less capable in handling. Position matters; don't let the initial set up of a stock bicycle determine your positioning.

Now, if you are currently deeply into cycling and want an upgrade, likely to a high-end bicycle, what do you do and what sort of choices should you make?

The first smart move for a high-end bicycle purchase is get a professional bicycle fit. Know what size frame you need by knowing most of all what your ideal REACH is for a new frame.

Contemporary frames are confusing in terms of sizing. What is most important is the combined measurement of the frame set virtual top tube (VTT) [sometimes called "effective" top tube] plus the stem length.

For example, a frame with a 56 cm VTT and 100 mm stem is essentially the same fit as a 54 cm VTT frame and 120 mm stem. For handling quality, stems of about 90 mm - 120 or 130 mm are reasonable. If a frame forces something shorter or longer, that may signal the frame doesn't fit.

For me, a sweet spot is a VTT and 120 mm stem. It places my weight and sight over the bicycle in a way that suits me.

These basic measurements are central to the discussion when you get a bicycle fit.

Head tube height plus your stack height, amount of exposed seat post, and other measurements matter, but I recommend focusing first on VTT/stem length.

Once you know what size, you must decide if you want to go the stock bicycle or build-your-own route.

I am a build-my-own cyclist because I want my components all to be the same on my n + 1 collection, but I also enjoy building my own bicycles.

Stock bicycles from local bicycle shops still have value even for high-end bicycles. This route is always worth considering, especially since you can test ride the whole bicycle.

My comments about high-end stock bicycles include the following: (1) You often get a good to excellent frame (most bicycles today are carbon, and most carbon frame are light years ahead of stock bicycles 20-30 years ago), (2) You can get an amazing component group for much less than buying a group when building your own, (3) the remaining components often leave something to be desired (handle bars, bar tape, stems, saddles, etc.) and tend to leave you with few choices about customizing, and (4) even on high-end stock bicycles, you tend to get wheels that are far below the quality of everything else. My #s 3 and 4 are why I build my own.

High-end stock bicycles never come with pedals or bottle cages so consider the added cost when shopping.

As a transition from stock bicycles to build-your-own, I want to make a strong argument that you always buy behind the "new" curve—last year's model or close-outs.

This strategy creates the best $$$/quality ratio you can grab. Also, "new" trickles down so many features of even a last year's model were the "new" things two years ago.

Now, if you choose build-your-own, do not discount the local bicycle shop.

My Colnago, Cervelo, and Ridley Flandrien frames were all purchased at local bicycle shops, not online. And all were very good deals and bicycles.

The keys to building your own bicycle are patience and a plan both to buy what you need and have a way to put all those parts together well and safely.

One important reminder is your steering tube will need to be cut if you buy a frame set; it is always good to have the right measurement and arrange for that to be cut by the source of your purchase.

If you are going to do your own build, I highly recommend having the essential tools and a good bicycle stand (I prefer what is called a team or pro stand). If you are local and want to do your own build with a little (or more) help, I am always eager to do some bicycle building.

A good experience for a first-time build-your-own is visit an online bicycle dealer that has a part builder, and then build a fantasy bicycle to get an idea of all the parts you need and some idea of costs (try Excel Sports component builder, the drop-down box prompts you to all you need also). So what do you need?

Frame set [1] (fork and frame, headset, spacers for stem stack height, rear derailleur hanger, bottle cage bolts, cable guides/adjusters, cable guides for underneath bottom bracket)
Bottom bracket [2] (standard outboard [English/BSC or Italian threading], BB30, etc.)
Handle bars, handle bar tape
Water bottle cages
Computer
Stem (handle bars and stems must match in clamp size; most today are oversize [OS])
Component group (shifters/brake levers, brakes, front derailleur [1], rear derailleur, crank set [2] [compact 50/34 or standard 53/39] must match frame bottom bracket type, see above)
Seat post (know proper size for new frame set)
Saddle
Pedals
Wheel set, tires, tubes (you may need rim tape, depending on rim type)

The sexy part of building your own bicycle is the frame set, but the real concern for you should be where the rubber meets the road, literally.

If you are making a $3000+ investment in a new bicycle, you should really start with a moderately priced, high-quality wheel set that balances durability, performance, and weight.

Clincher wheels (using beaded tires, not glued on tires found on "tubular" wheel sets) tend to be durable and weight efficient in the 1400 g range if you are medium to small in height and weight. Larger riders may need 1500-1600 g wheels.

Frame and component choices are complex, but a good rule of thumb depending on your financial constraints is seeking the next-to-the-top versions of most items. Sure, Dura-Ace and SRAM Red are sexy, but for most of us, Ultegra and Force are incredibly high quality, reasonably light, and durable.

Frames are changing rapidly, but 1000-1200 g frame sets are on the lower end of high-quality frames (my Ridleys are 1100 g) with freakishly light and expensive frames coming in at sub-700 g to 900 g (Cervelo R5ca, Cannondale EVO). Some of the ultra-light frame sets may not be as durable or comfortable as recreational riders want; and the cost/performance ratio may not be worth it.

But if you're going to splurge, spend the extra money on wheels first, frame second, and then the rest (don't ever cut corners on the saddle or pedals, though).

Ultimately you want the combination of frame (material and geometry), wheels, and build to achieve the ideal ride quality (handling, comfort, fit) and looks that suit you—not anyone else.

For me, how a frame responds to accelerations, how a frame climbs, and how a frame handles coming down Saluda grade are issues I will not compromise on. I like "classic" road frames, long top tubes and the "classic" combination of comfortable and solid handling (corners, descending, hands off the bars).

Ultimately, you need to do your research, and ride some different bicycles—ask friends, visit bicycle shops, and even some online retailers will ship bicycles to you to test ride.

Talk to veteran riders about different frames, ride quality, their preferences. Being well informed and patient are keys to being happy with your new (+1) bicycle.

NOTE: If I have missed something, or if you want greater clarification, shoot me an email and I'll update this posting -- paul.thomas[at]furman.edu

[1] Know if your frame set has a front derailleur hanger or if it requires a clamp-on. The frame information should note if a braze-on or clamp-on front derailleur is required.

[2] If your new frame, for example, has a BB30 botton bracket, you'll need the BB30 bottom bracket and a BB30 crank set.