The Suitcase of Courage

Woulda Coulda Shoulda:How to Ride When You Have to Work

It is an Absolutely Beautiful day today - an Absolutely Perfect day for riding.  But I'm over 40 miles away from my bike right now, with no prospect for riding at all today.  I'm not nearly as miles-obsessed as this may sound.  A day like today is just about enjoying the act of riding itself and being outdoors.  It's merely coincidence that riding into work gives me lots of miles.  So what happened?  Well, I'll tell you - and along the way will offer some helpful suggestions so you can avoid the mistakes I made this morning - mistakes which conspired to keep me out of the saddle on such a pretty day.

Did I mention that it would have been a perfect day for riding into work?  I'd actually planned to and had even mapped out a route to get from Hartford to the in-laws' in Wallingford this evening (thanks in part to Brendan).  But the logistics of the evening's plans, coupled with the fact that a) I've only been getting about 4-5 hrs sleep each night, and b) I got to ride in Monday and Wednesday (which is partly responsible for the truncated sleep), I decided to take the commuter van in this morning.  I can sleep on the van and meet the Mrs. 1/2 way to Wallyworld in the evening.

So I got up at my usual time (instead of early for riding), got all showered and to the commuter lot when I discovered - "No van today."  Now, since I'm not a morning person - and especially since I'd planned on sleeping on the way in - I wasn't all that lucid.  Consequently, I made a big mistake on such a day as this (did I mention how nice it is outside??) - I went ahead drove in to work.

Here is a list of things I woulda/coulda/shoulda done differently - and which you can remember if this ever happens to you:

• I woulda gone back home, changed, got my bike and ridden in as planned.

I wasn't going to be able to sleep anyway and the ride Hartford to Wallingford - as I discovered - is not nearly as far as I thought (so no logistical/timing problem after all).  Alternatively, I could take the bus from Hartford to Middletown and meet the Mrs. to get to Wallingford and save that riding time.  But having gotten up when I did, I would have been VERY late for work.

• I coulda gone back home, done my usual 1hr beach loop, and then drive in to work.

This woulda put me into work just a little late and I coulda gotten a ride in.

• I shoulda gone back home, got my bike/gear and planned on riding during (more likely "instead of")  lunch.

As you can see, all of these options start with me turning around and going back home.  Unfortunately, in my somnambulist state, I didn't figure that out until I was already 1/2 way to the office.

Maybe I shoulda just taken the day off. . .

Tech Tip Tuesday:Riding in the Rain

Those who know me best know that I avoid riding in the rain.  I even avoid riding if the roads are really wet.  I'm a little OCD about my bike and don't like to get it all mucked up - just means I have to take the time clean it and I don't often have that kind of time.  I won't even get started on getting all soakin' wet.   No matter how technical your fabric, no amount of wicking is going to help you in a downpour.

Given this aversion, especially during one of the wettest summers in recent memory, I haven't been riding as much as I'd like.  Yesterday was a perfect example: Woke up to sunny skies, figured I'd ride after work.  Come 4:30, the sky turns black and opens up.

Usually that would totally nix my ride plans for the day.  But a teammate had agreed to ride with me and the radar showed the storm was passing through quickly.  So, resigned to a messy bike, but likely avoiding a messy me, I decided to ride.

Good thing.  When the forecast says "scattered thunderstorms" they aren't kidding.  Where we started our ride, just 5 miles south of the monsoon, it was bone dry and clear.  It looked like we'd get a nice (clean) dry ride in after all.

Things went, um, swimmingly until we turned back north for the last 20 minutes of the route.  The clouds that had been threatening wiped away our smugness with a torrential downpour.  I swear, I had never been so thoroughly soaked without jumping in a pool.  But once you're wet, you're wet.  So it's no biggie.

Until you descend - then you have to worry about your brakes (cuz they don't work, much) and your face (rain feels like sandblasting at 30+ mph).  And, if you're like me, you have to worry about your contact lenses floating off your eyes and into oblivion rendering you totally blind.  After riding with alternate eyes closed, the scariest part of the ride was when I realized BOTH lenses had moved and I couldn't see where I was going.  And yes, I was going downhill at the time.

Fortunately, I was able to recover on the flats - recover my sight, that is.  And other than the squishiness in my shoes and being otherwise waterlogged, riding in the rain was actually kind of fun.  I'd probably say it was "zen like" if I knew what that actually meant.  The rain didn't dampen our spirits and we were even greeted with a rainbow at the end.

Other than the obvious (avoid huge puddles, allow longer to brake, take wider lines, etc), here are some additional tips to keep in mind if you ride in the rain:

• If you carry a cellphone, make sure it's in a ZipLoc bag.  Actually, that's probably good advice whenever you ride.  You sweat, right?

• Always have at least one large towel in your bag.  Even if you don't need it to dry off, it makes a handy "on site" changing room.

• Have a trash bag or something similar to sit on if you have to change out of your wet clothes in the car (if it's still raining out).

While those tips may also have been obvious, did you know that if you ride in the rain your tires can fill up with water - even if you don't go through big puddles?  Well, they do and I got a reminder of that from another teammate after our ride.  And sure enough, when I checked last night, there was water in both tires.  So...

• Afterwards, deflate your tires and hang your wheels from the valve side.  The water will make its way to the bottom of the tire where you can peel it off the rim and empty it.  Of course, I'm talking about clinchers.  Tubulars may not have this problem.

After last night's ride, I don't have near the aversion to riding in the rain as I did before.  Especially since I discovered that - at least when there's not sand on the road (as there is so much in the Spring) - my bike isn't all the messed up.  I just had be sure to relube the chain.

So what other tips do you have for riding in the rain and/or what special things should you do afterwards?

Naugy Crit:Robbed by a Hood

Naugatuck, CT is an old milltown along the shores of its namesake river.  Like many other New England milltowns, it's a town in transition.  Many of the old factories have shut down and there are attempts - many successful - to attract new business.  And like any other town similarly situated, it probably has its issues with crime.  Though when I raced there this past Sunday, none of that was apparent - it's a beautiful, friendly town.

Oh, except there WAS one crime I know happened and it was perpetrated on yours truly.

A hood robbed me of my race.

I've raced the Donovan-Ruhlman Memorial Criterium at Naugatuck (the Naugy Crit) twice before and I've always liked the layout and my results.  But I should have read my report and course description from last year's race beforehand.  If I had, I could have saved myself from being a victim. 

The race followed the now-familiar routine, except an official made SDC remove his helmet cam prior to starting - a decision which is sure to disappoint the many fans of his race videos.  Almost 60 of us lined up, with large representation by my former team and Central Wheel.  I figured one or both of those teams would try to get a break going.  While the course isn't a bad one for breaks (you can get out of sight), it was pretty windy and it was hard to gauge the pack's motivation.

But it was fast from the start.  Despite how well I've been doing at the Tuesday night East Hartford crits, "real" races like this (maybe cuz there's prize money?) are certainly tougher and I didn't feel quite as strong and confident as I do on Tuesdays.  But I held my own, staying safe near the front of the field, jumping to splits when they happened, even chasing down a couple breaks.

SDC had agreed to help me if he could so we both tried to stay sheltered.  But the race had a strange dynamic - there was a lot of yo-yo-ing and changes in pace, but - thankfully - nothing sketchy, despite the poor roads.

The worst part of this race are the roads.  Nothing's changed since last year - or 2006 for that matter, when I first raced here.  The roads are littered with manhole covers, some recessed(!), potholes, and pavement seperations.  While you could ride over everything, you had to be careful.  There were quite a few jolts and you had to be careful you didn't get your bars knocked out of your hands.

I tend to race most of the time resting my hands on my brake levers, rather than in the drops.  The more upright position allows me to see more of what's going on in the pack and keeps my chest a little more open for breathing.  Problem is, when you're "on the hoods" and you hit a hard bump, bad things happen.

With about 11 laps to go in our 28 lap race, and after already hitting a lot of potholes, manhole covers, etc. I hit a particularly nasty hole VERY hard - so hard in fact that I was surprised that my wheel didn't crack or that my tire didn't at least blow out.  But something was still wrong.  I was slowing down fast and couldn't operate my rear derailleur and my right brake lever wouldn't work.

Fortunately, I was able to get out of the pack and to the pit to try and figure things out.  The rear wheel was frozen and wouldn't turn.  The brakes were locked up.  I released the QR on the lever, opening up my calipers.  Apparently, since I was riding on the hoods when I hit, the impact forced my lever down and in - stretching the cables as tight as they could go.

Unfortunately, the official did not consider this a "mechanical" which would have allowed me to jump back into the pack under the "free lap" rule.  I'd have to chase.  I got back on the bike and stomped on the pedals, shifting up and up to get maximum speed by corner 1 and the descent.

As I went fast around the corner, I tried to shift for more speed down the hill.  Nothin'.  I couldn't get the derailleur to move the chain past the middle of the cassette, so now I'm spinning like crazy to keep my speed up and try to get back to the pack.

It sure felt a lot more windy out there alone, but I continued - like a crazy man - to try and catch up for another few laps.  I secretly hoped that the announcer would at least mention my stupid valiant effort and give me some taste of fame - if not infamy - for my trouble.

But no.  The only bone I got was as I was coming through the start/finish with the pack about 100 meters behind me: "And we've got a rider off the front!  Oh, sorry, he's a lap down."

That turned whatever wind was left in my sails into a headwind.  I was done.

But I hadn't given up - not right away anyway.  I kept the pack at bay for around 3 - 4 laps which - for somebody that's not used to being out on his own like that - was quite an achievement.  No matter that the Mrs. said I looked awful, face and neck bright red, thinking I'd keep going until I passed out.

I only regret that I couldn't be there at the finish to work with SDC - and that he didn't know I was out of the race until about 4 laps to go.

But I learned a valuable lesson - and it can stand in for today's Tuesday Tip:

When racing on rough roads, either make sure your levers are rock solid and tight on the bars, or race in the drops.

Don't let a hood rob your race.

Tech Tip Tuesday:N-Gear Jumpstop

You've been hammering on the flats, doing all you can to stay with the pack.  You know the big climb is coming, but you're ready.  Your training and preparation are paying off; your fitness is dialed in.

There's the turn that marks the beginning of the mountain.  Easy now, as you hold your line through the corner . . . FAST as you and the rest of the group stand on the pedals to get a jump on the others, launching yourselves into the maw of the beast that is the climb.

As the road pitches upward, steeper, steeper, you click down through your gears.  Finally, you can't put it off any longer, you slam your front derailleur into the small ring.

KaShrrring! NO!!!  Your overeager chain totally skipped the granny and jumped from the big ring right onto your bottom bracket.  The grade prevents any forward momentum, and it's all you can do to clip out before you fall over.  Of course, that's the least of your worries now as you watch the rest of the pack disappear up the hill.

Or, if you're like me, you're warming up for the New London crit and your chain inexplicably decides to bail almost every time you downshift.  Of course it works perfectly later on, but your confidence in it is shot.

Either way, you need a solution you can count on when even perfect adjustment fails (which it inevitably will).

Enter the N-Gear Jumpstop.

I hadn't even heard of the Jumpstop until I read a great review by SDC.  But once I discovered there was a small, inexpensive addition I could make to my bike that would allow me to set the front derailleur and forget it, it was a no-brainer.  I had to get one for myself.

Ordering

The ordering process couldn't be easier - just email Nick and he'll send you one.  If you like it, you pay for it.  Otherwise, you send it back.  No hassle.  Satisfaction guaranteed.  The only thing you have to worry about is ordering the right size for your frame.  N-Gear's website has sizing tips so even if you don't know your seat tube diameter, you'll be able to figure out what size you need.

Note: The N-Gear only works with round seat tubes.  If you have one of those fancy-shmancy bikes with aero tubes, you can't use the Jumpstop.  But that's no problem - you probably keep it in the big ring all the time anyway.

Installation

The Jumpstop has to be mounted under your front derailleur and close enough to the small chainring to be effective.  Since there's not much room to work in this area, installation is a little tricky.  You could remove your chainrings to open things up, but you'll need to put them right back on anyway to make adjustments.  I just left them on.

The instructions are very straight-forward and easy to follow.  You may need to use pliers (channel locks) to squeeze the collar tight enough to thread the bolt into the nut, but I didn't find that necessary.  But I could have used the channel locks to help me make fine adjustments more easily (by turning the Jumpstop on the tube).  But that didn't occur to me until later.

The Jumpstop has to be 1.5 to 2 mm away from the chain to be most effective.  Instead of guessing, I just put a 2 mm Allen wrench on the side of the chain, moved the Jumpstop up against it, and tightened the bolt.  The only tricky part is that, as you tighten, the clamp has a tendency to turn out of parallel with the chain.  The pliers will help you hold everything still.

Note: The nut that comes with the Jumpstop has a small nub that goes into the slot on the guide bracket.  Do not lose this nut.  Its design allows you to tighten the bolt without having to hold the nut (which would be almost impossible).

Install time start to finish: 30 minutes

Operation

I went on a few hilly rides right after installing the Jumpstop and, no matter what I did, I could not get my chain to jump off the ring.  Just set and and forget it.  It's really that simple.

Final Thoughts

The best thing I can say about the N-Gear Jumpstop is that it totally and absolutely eliminates the possibility of a mis-shift.  When installed and adjusted properly, your chain will never come off the small chainring again.  The confidence that gives you in a race situation - or any time you need to downshift quickly - cannot be overstated.  Where before I would ease up on the chain tension and "nurse" my front derailleur over slowly, I can now just slam it over quickly and know that the chain will nail the ring every time.

There are other products out there that operate similarly, but only the Jumpstop provides a full stainless steel guide, and a clamp that is frame-finish-friendly.  At only $12.40 postpaid, I don't think you'll find a better value.

Let me know if you try this product - and if you already have one, I'd be interested in hearing about your experience.

Tuesday Tip:Cleaning Hudz & other tips

Cyclists love tips.  In fact, tips are such a part of cycling that not only do bike magazines regularly publish such tips, but it's even a regular part of a very popular cycling podcast.

I myself am not immune to the lure of tips.  And, like any true afficionado, I often enjoy coming up with my own, and passing along some of my favorites.

So, on the occasional Tuesday, watch this space.  If the post isn't something for TechTalk Tuesday, it'll be a Tuesday Tip.

For this inaugural edition, I offer something I discovered when I last cleaned my bike.

Some of you know that I truly went over-the-top in outfitting my bike for 2009 installing red brake lever hoods to complement the red frame and all-red tires(!)  While colored brake hoods look very pro, like white bar tape, they sure do get very dirty very fast.

But GoJo works wonders.  Just put some in your hands and rub all over the hoods.  The pumice will provide all the scrubbing action you need and the soap itself is tailor-made for removing the black gunk that Hudz seem to attract.  Just be sure to rinse as normal.  Repeat if necessary.

It may work on bar tape too, but I haven't tried it.  It'd save having to change your tape so often (are you listening DaveH & SDC?).  If you try it, lemme know if it works.

And from among the 102 tips from this month's Road Bike Action magazine, here are my favorites, ones that I'd never heard before but have found very helpful:

"#14 Run your brake pads as far away from the rims as you can without compromising stopping performance.  Wheels flex wildly when you are climbing, accelerating and sprinting  - which drives the rims against the brake pads, causing brake drag when you need it the least."

Up until I read this, I did just the opposite - adjusting my pads as close to the rims as possible for hyper-responsive braking.  And I wondered why I wasn't going as fast as I should.  I hope this was why. . .

"#(30) . . . Route the right side shifter housing to the left side of the downtube, and the left side shifter housing to the right side of the downtube.  The shifter cables will need to cross each other mid way down the downtube in an X pattern in order to reach their proper location on each side of the bottom bracket.  This routing will result in much smoother arcs to the housing [and] less friction. . ."

My bike actually came like this, but I thought it was wrong so I changed it.  Now I realize I was wrong.  Such is the newbie experience.

What are your favorite tips?