On Rules #26 and #65: Spring Theory
To hold opposing truths in one’s heart is a beautiful thing; to find resonance within contradiction is a liberating force that opens one’s mind to a wide world of possibilities. Life lived in black and white is a bland, simple world, after all: everything interesting in life happens in the gray space in between.
There is nothing outwardly in conflict between Rules #26 and #65, but within the application of Rule #26 we run the risk of violating Rule #65. Whenever storing one’s bicycle, whether for the evening or for an extended period of time, one is to take care to place the chain in a little-little configuration. This is done by Pro racers out of respect for their mechanic by making their life just a little bit easier when they remove the wheels before getting the bike a clean and sparkling for the next day’s training or racing.
We, the humble plonkers, presumably don’t have a personal or team mechanic who rubs our beloved steed with a diaper post-ride. But there lurks another reason why this practice is an important one to undertake: leaving the chain in the big dog and mid or high cassette as we would when gussying our girl up to be photographed puts the springs in the derailleurs under tension, causing them to wear out more quickly. Placing them little-little leaves them nice and relaxed, all rested up for your next soul crushing session.
I can not overstate that this in no way allows us to photograph or allow someone else to photograph our steed in this relaxed state, much like we would not allow ourselves to be photographed while laying on the couch wearing compression socks and moaning about our guns.
[rule number=26]
[rule number=65]
@pistard
This isn’t for riding, it is for storage. Sheesh, try to keep up!
@wiscot
+1 badge to you!
And to think that I could have gone on placing my bikes in the garage for another 40 years without ever having known the proper way to do that !? However, this only now has me questioning how much I still don’t know that I don’t know. Cheers all
@Gianni
Yes please, write it. We did this religiously until my buddy got his hand jammed between his tire and seat tube on his new Tarmac some years back. He came to a quick and hilarious stop followed by an equally funny flop onto his side with his hand still jammed in place (funny at least to me). These aero bikes are fucking with some old habits I’ll have you know.
@Ccos
That’s what he gets for riding a Tarmac……
Rule #65 is of high importance, more so when you are limited to space, i.e – during/post ride @cafe stop where there is no option other than to lean ones bike against another bike. Not only must this be executed is a precise manner but also with an extremely delicate touch. Otherwise you are likely to get mouthful or a serious face off.
NB: Above
@Ccos
Sensible me read that in the original post as cleaning them after a ride. Cleaning with your hand at speed during a ride seems like the sort of stupidity worthy of Darwinian Selection.
A good friend gave me a proper workstand for Christmas. So, from now on I will wash my bike properly and regularly. That will be enough of this arcane nonsense without delving into spring fatigue rates and the resting heartrate of carbon fibre….
@PT
Ok, I have what I’m sure is going to sound like a complete dullard question regarding the use of workstands.
If you have a bike in the stand and take the wheels off – how do you put them back on and be sure the axles are seated properly in the drop outs?
@RobSandy
Always check with the bike back on the ground.
@Teocalli
Yeh, I’d do that. I just find getting the wheels back on when it’s up in the stand very awkward. Always feels like I could do with a 3rd hand.
@RobSandy
There are always times when having a pet Octopus comes in handy………..
@Teocalli
Not Darwinian, more of a skill move. Back in the pre-sealant days of riding tubulars and having little money a quick wipe of the tires with a gloved palm after running through glass or other bits seemed to be a tire saver. I flatted exactly twice on tubulars while doing this but they were both thread bear at the time. The rear tire separates the men from the thumbless so to speak.
My S5 and its tight spacing takes care of the rear tire now. Though with a frame scraping “ZZIIIIIIT” as the announcement. Now that I don’t wear gloves, it’s best to avoid the practice.
@wilburrox
Aye, and there’s the rub. To paraphrase Donald Rumsfeld, there are the known knowns, the known unknowns and the ones that really get you are the unknown unknowns. The latter you can’t do anything about so don’t worry about it!
@Ron
This is the first legitimate concern I’ve seen raised on this matter.
@ILCapo
Indeed. Please see the below for reference:
http://www.velominati.com/etiquette/la-vie-velominatus-lean-properly/
@RobSandy
That, but you just pull up enough on the wheel to make sure it’s seated correctly in the dropouts and then spin it to check if it’s centered etc. But it’s always good to check on the ground, also to make sure the QRs are seated correctly and won’t creak.
@Teocalli
Actually do this all the time. Lightly rest your palm atop the front wheel as you spin along and all sorts of debris (glass shards, flint) come flying off. Harder to do for the rear tire but not impossible. Haven’t had a flat for ages – if you get rid of the offending sharp bits before they have time to fully get through the tire you’ve saved yourself from being dropped due to puncture. Does help if you’re wearing gloves, though….
Even if it is nothing more than superstition or the cycling equivalent of an urban legend, I still look at it this way: Even if I ride for 2 hours every day, that’s still 22 hours that the spring is unnecessarily under tension. I still put my derailleurs in the small-small combo at the end of the ride.
…. and to wake up the electronic gear…..
from here
@cognition
I believe a certain French make would better suit them…
Although Il Pirata is not sure what the trouble is…
@Dave
Agree wholeheartedly, and I’d like to assert that switching to small/small means your cables will relax slightly, increasing the chances of bad shifts at the beginning of the next ride.
@Tugman
I hear you. I loved Pantani’s panache (is there a good Italian translation for panache? Grinta is clearly a different concept). Heretically, though, I never liked the yellow-and-celeste mix.
Just on the Rule #65 adherence, I’ve recently started using a new website Bicycle Log Book to arrange services through the LBS near work, once they’ve finished the work you get a report card through the site that details the work done & gives an overall condition of the bike as well. Have to admit I got a little kick of satisfaction in reading this…
So I read the article last week and could only role my eyes…
And then I came home from my ride and found myself putting the chain on the small cogs… *zucht*
@bea
Never did it before (trying to adhere to Rule #90) but yesterday I even left the bike on the turbo trainer in small-small. Next thing on my list: release tension on the brakes. Already done: release the tension on the rear tyre from the tacx-dynamo.
Question: anyone know a good site with training/workout videos without cyclists featuring EPMS? Ruins my training….
@KogaLover
This is a fair but unfortunately mis-placed concern. I think you will find that training/workout videos are responsible for ruining your training. If you must train on a wind-trainer (and we all must stoop sometimes) please only watch recorded stages of grand tours or monuments to pass the time.
@Teocalli
If you need to clean your tyres with your hands while riding you are approaching the problem the wrong way. Instead, if you ride fast enough, your bike will float over all obstacles, no matter how sharp. The tyres will have passed beyond the possible source of damage before it is able to make ingress into the tube. It is not proven but it may be explained by Brownian Motion, possibly String Theory too. Bernoulli can definitely take a small amount of credit.
Whatever the case, this is the secret to using tubulars on a daily basis, riding very fast, all the time. Its also why pro mechanics don’t mind changing tubulars for pros – the correct velocity has been observed and its not their fault that the tyre has been poorly constructed and failed to keep its responsibilities.
Please everybody, ride properly and look after your tyres: ride fast.
@PT
This theory also applies to riding cobbles. Just go so fast you become a hover craft.
Picked up my bike from my local wrench last night. He’s the sort of guy who cleans your bike and lines up your skewers properly even though he’s not doing anything with your wheels, just because that’s the way it should be done.
Anyway, I checked the location of the chain when I picked it up, bearing in mind he had been servicing my headset, not doing anything to the drive train – little-little.