On the Road Again...

I did a short ride today with a friend...Rob, who works at Adidas and owns just one bike. This one bike is an old, I mean old as in over 30 years old, Bridgestone Submariner. The main tubes are all stainless steel. It is in stellar shape and it is a heck of a cool bike. He does have some more modern parts on it, but not like what I am riding. His bike is set up as a single speed but it still must weigh 22 pounds or so. I was riding the only bike I have with road slicks right now, the Specialized S-Works Roubaix--full Dura Ace. Yeah, a little difference in the bikes.

However, Rob does have some cards in his favor. He used to run for a Division 1A school, I think either Georgia or Georgia Tech. He is probably in his late forties now, but he has remain in pretty good shape and in the past has done some triathlons and other related activities. The dude is competitive. He commutes back and forth downtown from Beaverton on 46/16 or 17 gearing. He climbs up those hills up by Washington Park 4 or 5 times per week. Basically, he is in pretty good shape.

I have never ridden with Rob before even though we often have talked about riding. He also really wants a singlespeed cross bike. And I now have one so it was a good excuse to have him over to show it off and then go for a ride. he arrived a little late and I only had about 90 minutes to spare so it was a short ride.

I picked the route and the highlight was a little climb up the west side Springville Road to Skyline Drive. After pleasant conversation while riding on Cornell Road to Cornelius Pass Road it started to get a little more heated. On some of the back roads there weren't the traffic signals nor the traffic to really slow us down. He had me lead and at one point going down a hill he told me to open it up. Prior to that I didn't want gap him or anything since I had gears, but with that comment it was on.

I was hot out of the saddle stomping up some of the short hills and pushing it on the flats and downhills. I couldn't drop him. He just stayed on my rear wheel--drafting me. Obviously, I was doing a bunch of work out there this windy day, but still! I have gears I would have thought I could have pulled away. Umm, not so much.

Finally, we arrived at the bottom of a long climb up to Skyline Drive. I told him it was a long one, more than 2 miles I thought. After a quarter mile or so Rob asked me where to go when we get to Skyline. I said that we turn right. And then he was off.

Damn him.

It wasn't like I was going easy. I was in the big ring climbing out of the saddle, the bike rhythmically pitching left and right and as I rocked my way up the road. He took off at a nice clip. His cadence looked good. I was disheartened big time. Nevertheless, I continued my pace which for me was near heart bursting as it was.

I noticed that after a half mile or so he stopped pulling away. He was about 75 yards ahead of me. I gained on him a bit, but not much. Then I heard him make some animal noise--probably from the pain induced by that hill and that gear he was pushing--and I noticed I was actually getting closer. And closer. About 50 feet before the stop sign at Skyline Road I caught him and passed him. I had to take a break, my heart, lungs and legs were ready to explode. We stopped and chatted for minute, he ate some crackers he had in a ziplock bag in his shorts...yummy. Then off along Skyline road and while passing at the cemetery Rob offered to take a pull. Man, it was nice to relax a bit. I realized once again how nice it is to sit behind another's rear wheel.

Back at the homestead, he thanked me for the ride and told Bridget that he thought it was nice that I took it easy on him. Umm, no. I didn't. At least not for the second half of the ride. Geesh. Gotta get him on a cross bike. Those couple of miles up that section of Springville Road were among my more painful this year.

First Impressions

I went and rode Buttercup this afternoon. I went on a route that I am very familiar with, but not terribly technical...up and down Saltzman Road in Forest Park. It is mostly a dirt fireroad that twists and turns as it descends about 800 feet from Skyline Road until the gate near the bottom after about 3 miles. I rode that basically twice and then went down partway again so that I could re-take some turns that I am pretty familiar with when riding the Curtlo Cross bike. I probably rode about 14 miles overall.

The Buttercup was supposed to be identical to the Curtlo. However, it is not exactly the same. I am using a different headset than on the Curtlo, an FSA which has a 10mm higher stack than a King headset. So, my bar position is a bit higher than I am used to. I didn't notice it at first when I was riding around in the parking lot and around Neil's house. It was immediately evident when I started riding at speed down a loose fireroad. On the plus side, being in the drops felt really good. On the negative when on the hoods I felt a little bit too high. It didn't feel as aggressive as I am used to. It handles better overall. I may swap out for a longer stem, but that is about it. And even with that I am going to ride it for a bit with what I have and see how I do at the races before I swap anything out.

Anyway, while it felt a little different it didn't feel bad. After 45 minutes of riding I was starting to get it down. If I want to turn at speed all I have to do is lean and maybe shift my weight or hips to the side. Steering is stable, I wouldn't say it was twitchy at all. I just had to let the bike do its job instead of forcing it one way or another.

Slow speed, tight turns are slick. For a bike with a longish wheelbase, at least compared to a regular road bike, it is very agile. More so than the Curtlo. I do think that if I was go out on a real mountain bike trail I might be more comfortable on the Curtlo when a descent got really steep and technical, but that is about it. The bikes are slightly different, but both fit well.

Climbing: Perfect. There was nothing too steep, but it felt great. While it may be in my head, I really felt like all of my energy went into the rear wheel. When you compare the bikes, there should be a difference. A ultra rigid Easton EC90 crankset compared to the Campy Record on the Curtlo and beefier chainstays on Buttercup should make for a more efficient power transfer. At least that is what I tell myself when I am churning up dirt when pedaling out of the saddle. It felt great.

What a bike it is. Seriously. Too bad none of you reading this can own this bike. And if you want something similar, start schmoozing Neil now before the list grows too long.

One more thing. I ran the Vittoria XM tubular tires today for the first time. They definitely have a better feel than the Tufo tubulars or the Hutchinson Bulldog clinchers (mainly because I can run them softer than either), but the jury is out when it gets muddy. Overall, I like them better than the Fangos I think. Yeah, I think so...we'll see when it comes time to race them how they do.

Finished

...except for the cable ends. But I want to put on the gold ones that came with the TRP brakes and I forgot to get them from Neil. Otherwise, she is ready to go. Taking her out on her maiden voyage this afternoon.

Pics...


The brake cable pierces the seattube lug nicely. It feels buttery-smooth. There is no more drag on the rear brake than the front brake. Seems like usually you can feel just a bit more resistance because of the extra housing that normally is on a frame on the rear brake. The seat post was also modified to allow the cable to pass through.



Paul's dropouts look great!


Check the Easton EC90 crankset. Beefy. Amazingly light.



Can't wait to ride her and get it dirty. I put a bit of packing tape on the top tube underneath the brake cable to try and save the paint from where most of the scuffing has occured on my Curtlo. I keep saying that it is ok if it gets scratched, but there is a part of me that relishes this prestine condition. It is a work of art.

Thanks Neil!

Buttercup

I really was planning on riding today, but I received a long awaited phone call that my Cernitz Singlespeed Cyclocross bike was all finished at the painter/powdercoater. So I drove out there to pick it up and then to work. I really wanted to get it built but I don't have all of the parts, nor did I have the time really. Neil has the parts, or maybe they are at the shop, but I didn't get to look for the stuff. Besides, he and I need to spend some time putting it together so that the measurements are the same betweenthe Curtlo and Buttercup.

These pictures don't really show the "butteriness" of the frame. It looks washed out here, but with flash photography and only a compact digital camera I don't expect much else.

Without further ado...Buttercup!!

Customer Service...

...is something that one particular painter/powdercoater knows very little about. More later, I will even name names, but I will wait until their services are fully rendered and I am satisfied. I figure I won't totally call them out until after I get it back. Sort of that thing where you don't complain about the food until after the waiter gives it to you since you don't want him to spit in it.

Seriously, what is up with a 2 to 3 week becoming 6? And when I ask about it they act as if they are doing me a favor by doing the work....ugh.

Washington County Cross Crusade Report

Flashback to Thursday night...Bridget and I were cooking dinner together and she started spray Pam to make sure that some tortillas in the green chili enchiladas didn't stick together. Little did I know that she was doing it in a way that the over spray got all over one section of floor. A few minutes later I was standing in that particular area of the kitchen and slipped. I managed to avoid a sharp knife and most of a hot pan, but my back got a bit mangled. She felt bad and tried to help massage it out later and I did some stretches over the next couple of days but I was worried about being able to race it all. I had to blow off one race I planned to do on Saturday because of the pain.

PFJ called me to let me know I had to race...well, I couldn't let the Team down. Today was Team ButterCup's first race. I managed to get out there and even finished.

Starting the day off was Tim, who managed to get confused and cut the course. He was relegated to 108th instead of 6th. He said he got back near the same spot he was in when he took the short cut, but the officials didn't care. Marcello is still out with his back injury, so no Master C rider to represent there. PFJ was planning to ride his Vanilla for the first time today and so he would be racing in the SS class for the first time as well. I was the only one racing the Master B's.

I had a good position at the start. I didn't push it too hard at the start because I was worried about the back. I took a bunch of pain meds hoping to make it bearable. It was. Not great, but it wasn't painful enough to stop me. I really tried to accelerate out of the corners better than I have been so far this year. The slick course made it difficult to do so. I saw many riders go down as I was riding. I stayed up the whole time, although I did have to dab a couple of times. I rode on the Tufo Flexus Cubus tires and I found myself wishing I was riding the Hutchinson Bulldogs instead. I think the Bulldogs have a great cornering type of tread. I rode the Tufo's because the wheelset they are glued to happens to weigh about 1.3 pounds less. Next time I will take the better cornering and the weight if I have to make this choice.

Anyway, here is how my race went down. Ride hard. Stand up out of the corners to accelerate whenever possible. Keep it upright. Keep an eye out for number 822 and 922. Those were two guys I had my eye on at the start. They were just in front of me and I figured they were at about my same ability. I barely beat 822 last week on a hilly course. 922 I have seen come into the bike shop a few times and he looks pretty fit, and he was right in front of me so it was easy to remember him.

Battled 922 for over half of the race. He was usually about 10 to 50 feet ahead of me except of about half of the third lap, when I got a head of him for a bit. Then on the last or next to last lap I passed him and never saw him again. 822 was a bit further ahead. I was getting close to him at the end, but a few guys crashed ahead of me and I couldn't make of the ground. He finished a couple of spots ahead of me.

I did pass a guy right at the very end. We came out of the last turn just in front of the finish line with him just a bit ahead and taking the outside line. He went to shift some gears to accelerate to the finish but his derailleur said pass. I heard all sorts of ugly sounds as I took the inside line and passed him as we exited the turn and then came to the finish. Nice. I might have gotten him anyway as I had the better line, but his crunchy gears did the work for me.

Overall I had a good race. There were some parts that I think I rode very well. And there were lots of turns that I wish I had nailed better. So it goes...

The preliminary results had me 85th out of 117 starters. I am not sure how many DNF'd, probably around 10. I also continue to make the lead lap and so I still feel like I belong on Master B's. The official results had me at 96th out of 117. I didn't think I had done that poorly, but whatever.

Sure I could go back down and do well in Master C's. I would be winning there, but I would be probably in the top quarter. I would rather be racing in the back quarter of the Master B's than sitting in the top quarter of the Master C's. Still, I am disappointed in the final results. I guess I just have to keep at it.

I am not racing next weekend. I am hoping for a couple of good weeks of training so that I can debut Buttercup, my new singlespeed (the name of the bike came before the name of the team, by the way) at the race in two weeks. We'll see...

First Muddy Cross Race

More later about the race, but here is what my bike looked like after the race. No pictures of me yet.


Here is a shot of PFJ racing by on his new Vanilla. He was so fast that he passed me before I could get the picture. I don't exactly have a high speed digital camera...

Team ButterCup Uni's

I am going to race for the first time in our new team kits tomorrow. My back is injured (long story) and I may do horribly. But at least people will notice me there at the back....

Tired

Just feeling really tired and worn out this week. I feel like I still haven't recovered from the Cross Crusade race last weekend. Legs have been really dead feeling and my lower back for the first time in a few months has been feeling really weak with occasional dull pain. Not sure what the deal is. I was planning on doing two races this weekend, but not sure if I want to do that.

Also, Buttercup is still at the paint shop. It has been over 4 weeks. I was quoted 2 to 3. Love getting bubbled. Why does this happen so often that people over-promise and under-perform. I mean I would have done it anyway with those guys, but I wouldn't have been anxious for these last couple of weeks. If everything were this way then Christmas would be scheduled to arrive some time between early to late December but then not actually occur until late January. Ridiculous. Sorry for the rant--I am just cranky and tired.

A Couple of Pictures from Oregon Velo

Obviously there is a new picture up top tonight. The old one was from about 2 years ago. The picture up top now is my new favorite shot of me. Ever. At least in so far as I can remember. I look intense!

Anyway, here it is again and then I found another one on the Oregon Velo website where I am right on some guys tail. I like it too. Basically I like any picture of my where you can't see a big gut on me.