Categories: Accessories and GearBelgian AffirmationsBreaking The RulesCogalsDefining Moments

Test Drive Dummies

Woopsie-dasies.

Everyone knows it’s a great idea to change out pieces of equipment the day before a group ride, especially an honorary Ronde van Vlaanderen Cogal involving steep, cobblestone climbs. There is obviously also no need to test-ride the equipment after making said change.

I remark at this point that it is rather unexpected to find an 11 speed chain inside a box labeled as being 10 speed. I also note that an 11 speed chain is not obviously narrower than its 10 speed counterpart. Once installed, it even seems to operate normally, happily jumping from one cog to the next, up and down the cassette, as you click away at it on the work stand. It gives the strong impression of being a happy chain.

This is a ruse. It is not a happy chain. In fact, it is a borderline malicious chain; it lulls the rider into a false sense of security, right until the moment that enough pressure is applied to the pedals, at which point the chain will rudely skip. The amount of pressure required to make the chain skip is dependent upon in which gear you are riding; some skip easily, some (seemingly) not at all. The ones that seemed like they didn’t skip at all were the two lowest gears. Comforting, knowing the steep cobbled climbs that were to be gobbled up towards the end of the ride, where they would be most instrumental.

As it turns out, the amount of pressure required to skip the chain is the amount applied at roughly 20% and the rider has risen out of the saddle in search of extra power. This came as quite a surprise to me, the rider, and also to those riding behind me, who used words like “ejected” and “like you hit an invisible car” to describe what they saw.

So, I can make with certainty the following observation: a 10 speed chain and 11 speed chain might not have any outward trappings of distinction between them but they are indeed very different. This difference manifests itself by one functioning as expected and the other having the capacity to eject a rider when combined with a 10 speed drivetrain. It all seems very obvious, but that doesn’t make it less true.*

There are many other examples of this I’m sure; I remember having quite a job of properly connecting my Cinelli stem to my Scott Drop-In handlebars because the diameters did not quite match. That one also resulted in some high speed handling anomalies.

There are two morals to this story. First, it matters whether your equipment is interoperable. Second, if you make a change to your gear before a big ride, for the love of Merckx, take it on a test drive.

*As it turns out, it does in fact make it less true; this should function flawlessly but it was a worn(ish) cassette that held the secret to the bikes newly discovered ejection function.

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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View Comments

ErikdR says:

Apr 5 2016 at 4:06 am

@KogaLover

@litvi

I’ll have to wear this Brioni 7 fold today instead; so, naturally, I’ll go with these finished tan brogues instead of the rough-side-out chukkas.

Took me a whole lot of googling to discover you were not talking about cycling here.

Haha! Same here!
ErikdR says:

Apr 5 2016 at 4:16 am

I bow to the superior knowledge of everybody, of course - and I'm especially appreciative of what @Gerhardt has to say on the matter (in #17): "looks like it’s time for and expensive drivetrain upgrade".

Stay tuned for an upgrade (from Tiagra to 105) on my trusty 2013 Defy 1. (I'm just thinking wishfully here, to be honest; don't hold your breath...)
chris says:

Apr 5 2016 at 4:17 am

@BacklashJack

And I previously thought tuning (or, as I found out, untuning) my front derailleur the night before a ride and then not testing it was bad. That involved quite a bit of climbing the next morning without any ability to access the little ring. Only through meditation on Rule #90 did I find true salvation through my suffering.

That said, I stopped by my LBS on the way home and they did exactly five seconds of witchcraft and it was absolutely perfect and silent again.

Well done, Frank.

I also applied limited derailleur tuning skills to my #2. Everything seemed tickety boo in the work stand and it wan't until last night when I set off into the pain cave known as the 2 x 20 Interval looking for some sort of form ahead of Saturday's Chiltern Cogal that I realised that 53 x 23 was too much and I needed a gear that started with 39.

I think I only got away with it as the battery in my HRM had also decided to give up and helpfully didn't give me any indication of how horrible things were getting. I was left with nothing left to do but try to let my mind wander off to my happy place and keep turning at 100 rpm.

The components aren't deceitful or malicious, it's the work stand.
chris says:

Apr 5 2016 at 4:20 am

Slightly off topic, and I'm sure @Oli will blast me for this but a mate lent me his ultrasonic parts cleaner and it makes chains and cassettes so very nice and shiny...
Buck Rogers says:

Apr 5 2016 at 4:37 am

@Oli

@litvi

Why does everyone think I’m grumpy for pointing this out? I’m not, it just didn’t occur to me to think of a humorous way to say what I wanted to say! I’m a bike mechanic so when I see utter crap being said I can’t help but point it out.

Also, spelling.

And happy, see?

Ha! Perfetto! You know we all love and revere you, Oli!!!

I just had to give you a bit o'shite as you posted four of the first seven comments and each one of them seemed to come across as the old man yelling at the kids to get the feck off his lawn!

(That's why I wrote out the smiley emoticon, to let you know I was just ribbing you!)

Super photo you posted here as well. I'd say that you won the Cycling-World-Championships-That-Really -Matter yesterday, i.e. s/he who has the most fun on the bike, wins!
Teocalli says:

Apr 5 2016 at 4:47 am

@chris

I've looked at those a few times as Maplin does a reasonably priced one. Anyone any views/experience on the "home use" types?

Not sure why @oli would blast you as they seem to be essential bits of LBS kit.
Oli says:

Apr 5 2016 at 5:24 am

@chris

Not at all! A clean drivetrain is a happy drivetrain, so (as far as I'm aware) you're not talking bullshit. I like to think I'm harsh but fair. *passive/aggressive smiley-face emoji*
chris says:

Apr 5 2016 at 5:31 am

@Teocalli

The one I've got looks a it like this although the label has worn away and it looks a bit knackered. No idea where it comes from or how much it cost.

@Oli

I'd, maybe unfairly, assumed it wouldn't pass muster on account of it being a solvent based cleaning process that would strip the factory grease out of the rollers. It's a criticism I've read of immersing chains in solvent before.

Nice to know it gets your seal of approval.
Teocalli says:

Apr 5 2016 at 5:46 am

@chris

Wow that's very small......
nowave7 says:

Apr 5 2016 at 6:04 am

Hmm... One would think that of all people, cyclists should know not to make any major upgrades/changes to their gear, other than the regular maintenance. At least runners know that (not that I am much of a runner, for that matter). What works for you in training, don't change it in the race day. Never.