Equipment Ramblings

I get asked a lot what do you think about this bike part.... So here are some of my opinions of some items that I do have opinions about.

Pedals

So what's the best pedal? Well that depends upon who you are and what you are going to be doing with that pedal. I suppose that if you are an experianced MTB or Road Rider you don't need to read this and you probably have you own opinions. However if you don't have a clue read on. I'll be adding to this page more in time.

Road Pedals

Well unless you are a sponsored racer I don't think that there is any real reason to be using anything other than some sort of double sided pedal. I have seen too many people just fumbling at traffic lights, looking down when they should have thier heads up looking at the traffic around them. With a double sided pedal all you have to do is start pedaling and just wait for the "click" that you are locked in. Makes a lot of sense doesn't it. I use an SPD MTB pedal on my Road Bike and it works well. Yes, it might be less aero dynamic but if I were fast enough that it would make a difference I'd be getting paid for riding. :-) There are tons of double sided pedals, in both Road and MTB versions, so just pick one that you like.

MTB Pedals

I don't have a great bias here. just pick what ya want. I like to use the same cleat for both Road and Mountain that way I can choose to wear which ever pair of shoes that I want. On some of the colder winter dayz I like to use the MTB shoe since it's less breathable with more leather than the road shoes. Yes the MTB shoes are a bit heavier, but not that much that it's going to get you dropped from you passe.

Triple Chainrings vs Doubles

These days riding in the Hilly Fort Collins area, a triple chainring setup is the way to go.  Its much better than just going with say a 12/27 combination since one can run a 12/23 and still have lower gearing when needed with a 30/39/53 setup.  The 12/23 2 will allow one to still have the close (1 tooth difference) cogs which are optimum for gear selection. 

So what are the trade offs. Well many of the old school riders think that there is a big weight penalty (not true).  Others may say that the Q-factor is so much greater that there is a loss of pedaling efficiency... well the loss is negligble compared to the flexibility of having the right gears with you all of the time.  Cyclists being traditionalists are slow to come around to new ideas.  It took Greg Lemond to make clipless pedals and Aerobars acceptable back in the 80's agaist the staunch opposition from his foreign competitors. Of course that win in the Tour (There is only one :-) ) to change there ways.  In the 2002 Vuelta, Roberto Heras choose to ride a triple on the steep stages and podiumed using it.

Hey if we were all like Lance, really strong and young then maybe a double is OK. but lets face it most of us are not, and when facing a 12 % grade will save a lot of our knees.

When choosing a new bike, trust me and get one with a triple! 

Stuff to Carry

If one is to do  any rides of length then one needs to be self suffcient on the bike.  This means carrying stuff such as:

• A pump - C02 is nice but it's not renewable so once you are out of these then you are toast
• Cell Phone - When all else fails and you really need Help this is the one thing that can save you a lot of suffering
• Spare Tubes & Patches, Tire levers -  These are needed and it's pretty clear why.  Do enough riding and you will get a flat.  Even if you don't know how to change a tire someone you enconter on the road will and at least you will be prepared.
• Tire Boots - What are those.  They are liitle pieces of tire that can be used to put in between a hole/slit in a tire so that the tube won't come poking through.   Don't buy these, just cut up an old tire and put some in your saddle bag.
• Water  - One needs to stay hydrated on rides.  For longer rides use an energy drink with electrolytes such as Cytomax, Gatorade etc.
• Food - Power bars,  Gel packs,  GORP  (Good Old Raisons & Peanuts) or whatever you want to eat on long rides.  You can burn 500+ calories per hour on a bike fairly easily and you don't want to bonk.  Been There, Done that and trust me, it's better to read about than experiance.
• Money -Always good to have a couple of bucks to spend at the local convience store or bike shop in case there's something you really need.  A credit card is good to have too!
• Chain tool - Not as important for Roadies but if you are tourning then you want this.   If your are a MTB'r then this is a must!
• Muliti-tool - Tools are a must, especially one with all of the hex wrenches to tighen what might come loose.
• Duct Tape -  Not as necessary as some other things but if you are a MTB'r or touring then you may want to wrap some around your seatpost and it will be at the ready if needed!
• Spokes - Some of those temporary spokes or the real deal if you have a tandem or are touring. 
• etc.  This is not a complete list, just some of my favorite things
  

Crossing Rail Road Tracks?

If you read many pieces of literature about crossing rail road tracks they always say to cross them at a perpindicular angle.  Well I tend to disagree with this well meaning but  questionable piece of advice and here is why:

If one is to do what is advised an become perpindicular to the tracks the one needs to make sure that they have completed the turn.  I have seen riders trying to sqaure up with the tracks only to be in a slight lean and  BAM they go down cause the from wheel just slides allong the track!

Assuming the angle of the tracks are radically angled to the road I would advise cyclists to treat these tracks as any MTB'r would treat a root that is in the single track, which is to unweight the front wheel/bike by standing on the pedals and just let the bike roll over the tracks.  This may take some practice but I think this is a safer way to go.

Notice how experianced groups or racers handle these obsiticals.  They do as I suggest.  It would be madness for a group to all try and square up to cross these things.

One final note, Always call out tracks when leading a paceline/group so that everyone has a heads up!