Categories: Accessories and GearBelgian AffirmationsIn MemoriamRantings from the V-Bunker

In Memoriam: The Straight Block

13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. That's a corncob Popeye would make a pipe of.

Disc brakes and 1x drivetrains. These are the sort of things that belong on mountainbikes, are questionable on cross bikes, and should make an immediate trip to the rubbish bin when it comes to road bikes. Change for the sake of change; gimmickry masquerading as innovation. And to make matters worse, the appearance of 11-speed blocks has killed the last vestige of the complexity of our sport: block composition and size.

The question of gear choice was once one of the most critical decisions a Cyclist could make when tackling a course. In The Rider, Tim Krabé describes his gear choice and those of his competitors; throughout the book, he fixates upon which gear he is riding in. José Manuel Fuente used to use higher gears that the other climbers to intimidate them. Andy Hampsten famously rode only odd-numbered gears because obviously even-sized gears made his palms go sweaty.

Sean Kelly belabored his choice to use a 13-25 block versus a 12-23 for the 1989 World Championship Road Race. He knew he couldn’t climb as well as the other favorites and wanted a 25 to save his legs over the final climb. If, however, he managed to get over the hill, he would surely need the 12 in order to win the sprint. It was a classic catch-22; use a block that he could win the sprint with but get dropped on the climb, or get over the hill and lose the sprint. The race lay in the balance of a single tooth on a cog.

We used to build our blocks, not buy a complete cassette on ebay. The idea was to keep the gears as close together as possible with a straight block being the holy grail and the relative smallness of the biggest gear being a declaration of your status as Hardman. Every tooth beyond a 1 tooth jump was a sacrifice; every step beyond a 21 or 23 tooth cog was a silent admission of your sissiness as a Cyclist. The Pros today are riding 11-28 blocks on every kind of terrain, every day. Even at Paris-Roubaix, one of the only races flat enough to still require little more than a 19 even for us mortals.

Committing to nothing lower than a 19-tooth gear requires a suitcase of courage, poor planning, or both. And it looks tough as nails, that tight cluster of gears at the back wheel. Not like these big dinner plates we see riding around all over the place these days. You could serve a nice helping of Steak Frites on some of these modern blocks. Disgraceful. And while I’m not building my blocks anymore, I’m certainly still choosing a cassette for the terrain and plan to continue doing so until I’m pushing up daisies, thank you very much.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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Ron says:

Aug 17 2015 at 12:02 pm

@wiscot

@Ron

wiscot – Colors! Road bikes = black/white, Italian red, silver, and pearl white. Cross is white with a bit of black. Track is full “chrome.” Mtn. is blue. Commuter is candy apple red. SS commuter is blue. SS rain bike commuter is purple, my favorite color. I think I’m doin’ alright.

2nd puncture this week. I should have known that was coming. First was due to a burred valve hole on a new wheelset, erupted at home after putting it to the proper PSI. This morning I woke up to ride my Casati to work. Rear tube was flat. (I’d ridden it yesterday as well).

All I’m asking is that the drunks who sit beside the MUP don’t break their 40s ON the trail. Drink all day, piss on the trail, thrown garbage all over, screw in the woods (yes, I’ve seen this), deliver contact buzzes as I pass, just throw your bottles into the woods or parking lot, NOT directly on the trail.

#1 black/carbon weave. #2 black/carbon weave. #3 white and black with blue detailing. #4 white with black fork. Graveur = black. MTN bike (rarely used) carbon weave/silver.

Doing ok on punctures this year – 2 I think.

Biggest issue on the trail I ride on is folks with dogs off the leash. Bevvy-merchants thankfully rare.

I enjoy the gal's who think it's "cute" to let their little barky dog run all over the trail. While I'm not a commuting all-star type, I still have no interest in crashing thanks to a 5 kg dog. The only good thing about the broken glass situation is that I finally have a direct number to the guy at the city office who is responsible for cleaning it up. He told me to call him any time I see glass.

You keep your colors simple. Nice! I've been riding almost exclusively in white/black kit. Like loud bikes, but plain kit.
freddy says:

Aug 17 2015 at 2:18 pm

I love all this macho talk about straight blocks, corn cobs, big gears and the like. Besides the endorphin fix, the tradition and culture associated with cycling are the main reasons for my addiction to the sport. The technical evolution of the road bike is fascinating in itself: fixed gear/single speed, multi-gears w/ derailleurs, integrated shifters/brake levers, chromoly, aluminum, carbon fibre, etc, etc. These are the reasons that n+1 makes so much sense! Every cyclist needs several bikes to represent the tradition, culture and technology that is most meaningful to them. And just so you know, I just bought a Giant Defy Advanced Pro 1 with hydraulic disc brakes to add to the stable--which from what I'm reading above, may lead to my excommunication from the V. Oh well. I know in my heart of hearts, I'm still a believer in the bike.
Oli says:

Aug 18 2015 at 3:56 am

@freddy

Nah, in two or three years 90% of the vehement anti-disc road bike guys will be riding them too - you're a ground-breaker.
Jay says:

Aug 19 2015 at 5:51 pm

Firstly: The pictured bike, or what can be seen of it, looks like an object to be revered. It reminds me of my first real bicycle.

I rode a straight block when I first started riding seriously because that is what the guys that influenced me were riding. I quickly learned that it was a poor choice given the mostly hilly nature of where I rode. I have since come to appreciate compact gearing combined with an 11-32 cassette. I have plenty of usable gears for the flat and rolling terrain, but I also have some nice low gears to get up the big hills where the youngsters usually drop me. If that makes me a wuss, then so be it; however, I consider it more a sign of age and wisdom. Besides, I can usually catch them on the descent...
Matt says:

Aug 20 2015 at 9:28 am

Look at this abomination. 10-45.

Don't get me wrong, I love mountain biking. Cycling has my heart, but mountain biking is in my soul. But there are so many things in the MTB scene/industry that truly steam my beans; thus I often yearn for the (relative) simplicity of the Road Machine. No hydraulic anything, no suspension, and only one fucking wheel size.
Jay says:

Aug 20 2015 at 10:45 pm

The article is surely written by an typical old fashioned and outdated cyclist that are so steadfast proud of all the riding experience and mileage they have clocked up, and they would have all raced which meant they must be a serious enthusiast so we should all pay attention on what he had to say.

There are no purists cyclists, just arrogant ones that think they are different and like to bury their heads under the sand and don't want to change with the times. Even the pro pelotons dating back to the 50's ride newer design and better bikes with lighter and more efficient component year after year. Would a pro peloton rider have said, "hey, I'm not riding these bikes because I'm a purist and I will only ride bikes with two gear ratios and I don't care to stop and change my back wheel around and catch up with those on the so uttterly non sensical derailleurs and btw what a gay fcken sounding name for this idiotic device!"

Bikes evolve just like us.
Teocalli says:

Aug 21 2015 at 1:21 am

@Matt

No hydraulic anything, no suspension, and only one fucking wheel size.

hmmm - then they come out with hydraulic gears and there was this phase............
Teocalli says:

Aug 21 2015 at 1:23 am

@Matt

Oh and that's not mentioning.......
KogaLover says:

Aug 21 2015 at 1:49 am

@Teocalli

But at least it remained Celeste and wasn't this the Paris-Roubaix bike for whom again?
Teocalli says:

Aug 21 2015 at 2:19 am

@KogaLover

@Teocalli

But at least it remained Celeste and wasn’t this the Paris-Roubaix bike for whom again?

Yup Johan Museeuw