Keepers Tour Update: Contact Point Supplier: fi’zi:k
It’s crazy to me how fast two months from peaking goes by. At Christmas time I remember thinking how distant the Keepers Tour 2012 felt and that I’d have plenty of time to train. Now that time is measured in weeks instead of months and my feelings tend more toward doubt about my form. Cycling in Northeastern Minnesota in January, February, and March entails a mix of trainer time and wondering how well skate skiing will translate to riding a bike fast and far. I hope those frites are fried in clenbuterol.
Of course there are myriad other ways the other Keepers and I have been preparing for the Keepers Tour. Aside from the mundane tasks of making plane reservations and figuring out train schedules from Amsterdam to Lille, there are the fun tasks of acquiring new gear for our #1 Steeds which we’ve chronicled on these pages. We’ve had numerous shouting matches that have ended with at least one of us storming out of the boardroom over t-shirt designs, Gianni’s VMH has been frantically sewing musettes (they live on Maui so how frantic could it be?), Brett has been scouring travelogues of Amsterdam’s red light district in between training and racing with Rigid in the Austral summer, and I shudder every time I think of what Frank’s to-do list is like. I’ve seen it – it’s three pages long. All this, when executed perfectly, is surely going to amount to the most rad week of drunken debauchery Flanders has ever known and that’s really saying something. There’s no way they’ll let us back there which is why we’ve also begun planning the next Keepers Tour in Italy for the Giro.
With these preparations we are excited to announce fi’zi:k as the official contact point supplier of the Keepers Tour. We’ve extolled the quality, style, and passion fizik has for cycling since we started this site. In fact, I’d say most of us in the community ride, at a minimum, their bar tape. As it happens, the good folks at fizik aren’t offended enough by what we do and are followers of the site; a partnership was the next obvious step for two groups of people so unyieldingly devoted to Cycling.
What this partnership represents to us is affirmation of our community from the broader cycling world – a community that has grown with us and continues to contribute to our identity and which challenge us to be better. fizik values what we do and have agreed to support us in doing more of it, in style, with rad gear. This partnership doesn’t mean tiles or ads cluttering up the clean look of the site any more than fizik clutters up the clean lines of their saddles and shoes with unnecessary accouterments. It does mean that you’ll see more Keepers riding with more fizik gear and consequently a few articles related to fizik products, some tweets, friendfacing, and a few embedded links (per usual). Keepers Tour attendees will also find a few fizik goodies tucked inside their Velominati Mussette. And, if you haven’t already noticed, pay attention the next time you type “f-i-z-i-k” into a post, our boy-genius programmer did something nifty there as well. We’ll also emphasize that it is our strict policy that no Reverence article will ever be written by request of a vendor and, while we may elect to continue to Revere the fizik line of products, designation of a product as Reverence-worthy is solely at the discretion of the author.
For our part, we approached fizik because we believe in their products. Reverence for the best gear available is the domain of the Velominatus and we know that while you may disagree with our specific choices, you feel the same way in principle. That’s why you’re here. fizik is one of us; have a look at their site, check out the feedzone newsletter, even subscribe to them on twitface if you’re so inclined. They do a lot of insightful and behind the scenes posting about some of our favorite teams and riders – stuff you won’t get from the usual suspects.
What it boils down to is that fizik is Rule compliant. That’s something we can all get behind.
@snoov
As far as I can see, he employs both voodoo and black magic to wrap the bar. Good skills.
Um, I gotta agree here, Frank your tape is wrapped the wrong way. I’ll show you how to do it in Belgium if you like…
I was only making a point about the end of the bar tape and the plug, I wrapped my bars the opposite way to Frank but I didn’t think it matters with modern sticky tape, only with old school leather or nylon tape.
@snoov
I fixed my post.
@prowrench
I agree with most of what you say, although I prefer the “prolapsed rectum” to the double-sided tape and trimmed look – for a start most handlebar plugs then need a few rounds of insulation tape to increase the diameter enough to keep the plug in the ‘bar.
When I can be bothered, I also prefer to show a bit of colour at the end of the wrap – it’s a trademark like putting two careful pinches on my cable ends.
@frank
Fair enough, Frank.
@Oli
When I can be bothered, I also prefer to show a bit of colour at the end of the wrap – it’s a trademark like putting two careful pinches on my cable ends.
Yep, like a bit of tape showing at the end.
@frank
You should consider packing a Critical Mass T shirt to wear in case everything goes to shit and the whole fucking world is watching.
@harminator
Or pack one of these.
@Jeff in PetroMetro
Shit.
…one of these:
@Nosyt
That’s rather of nice of you to say. Thank you. We also put quite a bit of thought into how we want to approach these kinds of things. Hence no tiles, ads, popups, banners, or shit like that. We’re all about sharing enthusiasm and community. This place doesn’t appeal to just any old Adrian but we feel like to the peeps it does appeal to there’s a good deal of commitment. Patronizing or pandering to that commitment is not something we’re interested in as it’s more important to us than anything else on the site. This is why, as we move forward with fizik and hopefully other equipment manufacturers, you’ll only see ones that are Keeper approved, Rule compliant across the board, and community supported. Stoke begets stoke. Advertising cheapens shit, in other words.
@Jeff in PetroMetro
Funny you should point that out. The musettes that Gianni sewed convert to one of those. They’re even hotter in black and molteni orange. These people think of everything.
@Blah
“voodoo and black magic” that man is using the force! It would have taken me 3 times as long and my bars would still look like hammered shit!
@snoov
Apparently, a few critical elements are missing from my bar wrapping toolbox.
1. Euro music soundtrack.
2. Random guy in the background refinishing a chair.
Clearly, I must fix these deficiencies.
Also, is there a companion video for wrapping the right side of the bars? Or is that where the voodoo/black magic comes in? Invoke an incantation while wrapping the left side and the right side is magically wrapped when you are done?
@Monkeyscat
I like that he uses the figure eight without the 2 inch strip under the lever clamp. And you’re right – it’s like taking your 5 year old to their first karate lesson and Chuck Norris is the Sensei.
@Flying Crowbar
may I suggest
a little bar wrapping music
@Monkeyscat
It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice, yo!
@frank
As you get more and more rule compliant manufacturers on board will you pressure them to put all the logos on upsidedown so that they appear the right way up to the rider, cos it looks a little fucked up to have fizik one way up and Rotundo the other way up?
When your field of vision is narrowed to a single dot due to oxygen deprivation because your friends are riding you like a rented mule, the orientation of the text on you bar tape is not all that important.
@Monkeyscat
It’s the placebo effect of knowing that one looks simply fabulous, dahling…
@frank
@frank
@Chris
that is true, but in my case there is a lot of “you can’t polish a turd”.
@Marko
Please approach LOOK as the official Velominati bike manufacturer. I promise to come to the next Keepers Tour event if there’s a 695 with Campag all over it tucked nicely into the swag bag (I ride a medium). Besides, the Velominati kits look waaay better than the Cofidis kit. Those red bibs are just not cool. LOOK needs us.
@Monkeyscat
In that case, stick with the oxygen deprivation, it will help achieve the delusional state in which you believe that your suffering is on parr with one of the greats which is just as good if not better than looking fantastic.
@Marcus
Yes. I’ve been stripped of every back-of-the-pack finish on my palmares for the last two years. Dammit. And riding with this electronic ankle bracelet monitor is a cast-iron bitch.
@minion
KFC rules!!! Original recipe for me. Extra crispy doesn’t slide down nearly as well.
I’ve been avoiding the site all week to keep from the Paris Nice spoilers (DVR+trainer=Gold!) But, I wanted to say that I feel strongly that a 3T partnership should also be in the works, mostly because I’s a selfish SOB, and I needs me a discount on a new set of handlebars. I’ve decided after two winters and one summer that my 40cm bars are too narrow, and that I need to go to 42 or maybe even 44, but the Velominatus budgetatus in me can’t rationalize the expense in light of the fact that there’s really nothing wrong with my current bars.
Also, you know, 3T gets tons of love around here and shit.
@Jeff in PetroMetro
If I were smarter, I’d be able to put together the elements of KFC, sitting on the can, and “sliding down” from this converation and come up with brilliant scatalogical joke that is clearly being set up here.
@The Oracle
Nipple lube. Heh heh heh.
@Jeff in PetroMetro
Jeebus it’s nice to have you back.
@Jeff in PetroMetro
Some dude in Idaho is going to start making custom frames for us. In fact, he’s already made one. He rides a LOOK if that helps.
@Marko – great stuff!
You mentioned training in NE MN. Wher r u?
@theChaz
Just outside of Ely. You?
3T would be awesome.
The Lion King is back!
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cipollini-wants-to-ride-giro-ditalia-as-lead-out-man-for-guardini?ns_campaign=news&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=cyclingnews&ns_linkname=0&ns_fee=0
more like the hound!
@Monkeyscat
Amazing, Cipo takes 1st, 2nd AND 3rd. Can’t see him being a lead out man though.
@Marko ….
I’m from the Duluth area – Proctor – originally. Been in Denver for 25 years.
I have been to Ely a time or two – quite a bit when I worked a dig near there in the mid-’80s. Used to have a nice public sauna there. Dated a gal from Ely briefly.
If I ever get back that way …
@theChaz
The public sauna (Ely Steam Sauna) is still in business. Almost 100 years now. Although at 7 bucks a pop it’s not worth it to me anymore as I’ve got a perfectly good sauna at home. I used to go there to bullshit and catch up with the old timers. I know Proctor well. Cheers.
@prowrench & (@brett, @Oli)
Welcome, and thanks for raising this again. Ever since I stopped using Benotto Celo tape in the 80’s where wrapping direction actually mattered, I’ve adopted the practice of wrapping my bars how they feel more comfortable. Wrapping “backwards” the way I do just feels right in my hands and wrapping them the “correct” way makes me feel like I’m writing with my left hand. My technique allows for you to work with the direction of the bend of the bars both in the drops and the bend towards the tops, instead of against it. But in the end, wrap it whatever direction you want – modern tape doesn’t come undone anymore and for me that argument is antiquated.
That aside – I agree wholehearted with most of your comments about how to wrap, with the exception of your sphincter plug argument. I suggest you learn how to not suck at it, because you can make a perfectly smooth juncture if you trim the tape before inserting into the bars.
And to suggest I should stop wrapping bars: THEMS BE FIGHTIN’ WORDS. Bring your mini-pump and we’ll have it out. 5am, Phinney Ridge, Seattle.
Please see below for detail on my mastery of bar wrapping. Pay close attention to the ones with the plug.
[dmalbum: path=”/velominati.com/wp-content/uploads/readers/frank/2012.03.06.19.42.16/”/]
@Oli
Its a nice look. Kinf of like leaving off the baseboard on the walls to show off the perfectly even finishing job you did spakling, as they do in many modern houses. My personal “trademark” of doing a contrasting color to the finishing tape and matching it to some part of the bikes was stolen from whoever wrapped the bars for 7-Eleven and motorola – I always loved the red or blue tape with the Cinelli finishing tape through the middle. Classy look.
@Marko
Its like the ancient Tibetan saying: “Don’t start none, won’t be none.“
@Monkeyscat
I am 99% sure there are two men in that picture.
@prowrench
While I agree with you on the direction of wrapping the bar tape I have seen many pro mechanics do it the other way round.Doing everything like pro mechanics do can get you in a lot of shit like rinsing the bike from the pressure karcher etc.Time is important to pro mechanics and not how long will your bike or your bearings last.
Same goes for bar tape.One per week is a standard so who cares about direction?I do for sure however this pro mechanic clearly doesn’t care about what you said
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FHfCPfcUD8
Here’s the bike wash video.Time is important and not how long your bike will last.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es4-i1fHBbs
@Oli
@frank
Strong work to the both of you. My personal technique is to wrap towards the outside (“backwards” according to Frank) finish with black electrical tape under the fizik finishing tape , lettering oriented right side up when looking at the bike from the front (it’s way more important what the bike looks like to others than what it looks like to me). I end the wrap right where the bar starts to taper up to the stem clamp and overlap the finishing tape so that the OD of the final wrap is exactly the same as the OD of the bar at the stem clamp, i.e. a straight, flat transition. And I always make sure the k: on the plugs are correctly oriented. We probably need a bar tape pron gallery somewhere on the site btw.
@TommyTubolare
Great vid and indeed, Grom (the mech in the 3T vid) is wrapping the direction I wrap. Incidentally, we interviewed him a few years back. Garmin’s Kris “Grom” Withington.
On the subject of bike washes – not sure I can go as quick as that vid, but I do a brush and bucket wash that gets the bike spotless in 15 minutes or less. Maybe we’ll do a video of it at Keepers Tour; its not a comprehensive wash, but it gets it looking great and in good order in no time flat.
@sgt
Hm. That’s something I need to pay attention to. Mine are all cockeyed.
@frank
Brush and bucket system is always good but not the karcher or other pressure rinsing.You see in the video how strong the pressure is.Normal rinse with a sponge will take just a bit longer and you avoid a lot of trouble with water getting into bearings and washing out the grease.
If your bar tape feels and looks good to you it’s all that matters.I always insert the plugs straight though.It might be only the picture however the k on the fizik bar plug logo appears upside down?
@Oli
Very nicely wrapped and finished tape Oli.
@frank
Pics when I retape this week (Nate had me feeling self-conscious about my moderately worn tape this weekend)
@sgt
report coming soon I hope?
@frank
At the risk of sounding like a total butt kisser, I can’t agree more with Frank on this one. Tape rolls to the outside on the drops, and over toward the front on the tops. There is a very steep learning curve on tape application. As I noted above, I just put new fizik tape on this weekend. It is not perfect, but is better than the 2 year old OEM Bonti that it replaces. I do like the look of the stripe of color inboard, as it shows off the attention to detail on the cut. I have seen some bar top rings though. They look nice, but the fizik tape is better.
Interestingly, by box of fizik tape did not include that finishing piece. Is this standard with a certain type of fizik tape? Perhaps only with the white tape?
And may it please the Keepers – would custom V-Cog end plugs be rule compliant? I know a source….