Its hard to say precisely where the line lays, but I’m certain I’m well on the wrong side of it. I never notice lines as I pass over them but I can usually tell after I have because it feels suddenly liberating to leave reason, sensibility, and convention behind. I find them very restrictive – claustrophobic, almost. They force me into the same old way of thinking, always within a set of parameters of what is accepted. Parameters are a good thing, to be sure – especially for everyone else – but since I wasn’t involved in defining The Universal Limits of Reason and Sensibility, I can’t be sure they’re calibrated correctly so I prefer to roam freely and am quite satisfied to be considered crazy for the time being.
Just like most of us, I started down La Vie Velominatus rolling along on the wheels my first bike arrived with. I trusted them to be indestructible and always carry me about safely. Then one day while racing my friend, I locked up the back wheel coming into a corner too hard and destroyed it, the illusion of The Indestructible Wheel riding up the road alongside the friend I had only moments earlier been locked in shoulder-to-shoulder battle with. It was also at this precise moment that I faced the reality that a wheel is not only destructible, but a basic element facilitating productive locomotion aboard a bicycle.
I spent the next month shingling the roof of my family’s cabin in Northern Minnesota earning the money to buy a replacement wheel. And, having recently shingled a roof, I was suddenly a Shingling Authority, discussing in depth the merits of choice in color, material, and shingle pattern of every roof I passed by. Similarly, upon having been subjected to the myriad choices of replacement wheel, after purchasing my replacement wheel, I was a new inductee into the The Order of the Wheel and noticed (and commented upon) every bicycle wheel that passed me by. Due more to the volume of by observations than their merit, I was soon thereafter indulged by my Cycling Sensei – my father – to help him curate the wheels for his custom Eddy Merckx.
At the time, choices were more limited than they are today; quality of hub varied greatly, as did the rims, spokes, and tires. Everything was limited to an alloy of some kind, though you could have any spoke pattern you wanted, as long as it was 3-cross. At the time there was also a choice between tubular and clincher, which was a relatively new option. We labored over the choices and wound up having two wheelsets built – one clincher and aero; one box-section and tubular – a choice I stand by today.
That was my awakening, but nevertheless, I have throughout my life as a Velominatus had only one wheelset per bike. The lightest for Bike #1. Whenever Bike #n came into play, it received its own wheelset; as with all the other parts on Bikes #2…n; a hand-me-down from Bike #n-1’s upgrade. (Using the Hand-Me-Down Upgrade Methodology, a single upgrade improves not just one bicycle, but several – with the added benefit of filling a longer period of time moving bits from one noble steed to the next.)
It was only recently, during preparation for the 2012 edition of Keepers Tour over the cobbles of Northern France and Vlaanderen, that I took my own place in the realm of the Specialty Wheelset – which also afforded me another of those moments when I was strangely aware of having crossed one of Those Lines. After all, a big, fat Dutchman can’t be expected to ride over the pavé of Paris-Roubaix – unleashing the awesome wattage of his artillery – on just any old wheelset; certainly not any of those wheels which I already owned. This called for a set of wheels purpose-built for the occasion. Rims, hubs, spokes, and tires were selected with great care and assembled (four times) in a wine-enhanced rite.
Riding these wheels is a pleasure highlighted by the fact that I don’t always ride them. They hang on the workshop wall in a wheel bag, waiting for the Right Occasion to ride them. Those occasions are often anticipated several days – if not weeks – in advance and deliberated over carefully. Then, when the choice is finally made to pop them in for the ride, I wrap myself in the delta between my regular wheels and these. This contrast, like the negative space in a great painting, is the area in which I dwell while riding them. The difference in tire type, width, spoke pattern, weight. The way the wheel feels when the pedal is engaged. The way the wheels and tires flex over a bump in the road or hug the pavement in a corner.
I’ve since embarked on a journey to get each road bike in the house – mine as well as the VMH’s – on the same drive train in order to be able to maximize the wheel-swapping effect. Each wheel is a new language, each tire a new dialect, and inner tube a new turn of phrase. To paraphrase the nursery rhyme: one for sorrow, two for joy, three for hills and four for stones.
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I rode my tubulars this weekend. I had a few weeks off them owing to punctures. No special occasion but what a fine ride.
As for matching group sets, I have 2 Campagnolo equipped bikes. Of course one is 10s and the other 11s. So if I want to swap wheels I also need to swap cassettes. Also, I currently have only 1 10s cassette. The vise whip comes in handy.
Finally, I am getting very close to offloading my Shimano equipped bike as it effs up my knee and I can't get the fit to work out. But I'm inclined to hang on to the group and a wheel set as it would be perfect for a rain/cross bike.
"I've since embarked on a journey to get each road bike in the house - mine as well as the VMH's - on the same drive train in order to be able to maximize the wheel-swapping effect."
Does this mean the unified Campagnolo 10 speed universe?
I just put a campagnolo 11 speed chain on VMH bike and cursed the fact that wipperman/connex does not make an 11 speed chain, yet. Damn those Germans, get to work. Damn those Italians for shorting me one part of their fancy pants link. I just went ahead and joined it like every other chain in the universe.
I'm in a sort of wheel dilemma. My Look 586 came with Zipp 303 tubs. I'm not afraid to say that the Zipps, though incredible lights, have been nothing but a pain in the ass. They are twitchy on descents and putting on a new set of tires this spring was an execise in exasperation. It took me a week to clean the glue off and then the task of gluing on the new tires was enough to have me contemplate sucking on the barrel of my 9mm. The first thing that happened was that the threaded part that you screw the valve extender onto snapped off of the vavle stem. I thought I had just ruined a $120 tire but luckily Vittoria Open Corsas have removable valve stems. Bacon saved. Then I tried to use a razor blade to get some off the excess glue off of the tire that remained from an aborted gluing attempt. Of course I sliced the sidewall of the tire so I actually did ruin a $120 tire. After finally getting the tires glued on they had a ticking noise for every tire revolution. I figured out that it was the play between the valve stem hole in the rim and the valve stem. The problem is that the tolerance is so tight that I can't even get one wrap of teflon tape to get inbetween to stop the tick. Needless to say the Zipps have been very frustrating.
Then I won the Reynolds carbon clinchers and in light of the fact that I can fix a flat on them if need be and that they are ROCK STEADY on descents I really doubt that I would bother putting the Zipps on even in a race. Ah, but the fact that I have the tubes and lugs for Bike #3 ready to go as soon as I finish wiring the garage and bike #3 will be a CX bike I've had the epiphany to run the Reynolds ALL the time on the Look, the Eason EA90SLs on the Cannondale (or the CX bike when not racing), and then glue some knobby tubs on the Zipps and have them on the CX bike (for racing). Brilliant. If the Nederaap in a 61cm size with mid-range wheels is in the 20lbs range then my size 53 with Zipp tubs and a SRAM Force group should be faily light.
@Cyclops Awesome... just awesome. Someday I'll post my tubular story and we'll share a virtual brew together.
@Cyclops
Is there something about carbon rims that requires you to strip them each time you re mount a tire? I thought that as long as the old glue wasn't horrendously lumpy I could just put another coat on the old stuff, and if the degree of difficulty I have in ripping off old tires is anything to go by, my glue jobs stick well enough.
@Nate Yep, you're right. So long as there isn't too much build up and/or lumpy action just glue over the top of the old glue.
@frank another great article and the timing is spot on. I'm contemplating a new set of wheels (the niceness if which will depend on how much ebay will give me for a clear out of my garage). I'm also about to change to a standard spider and chain rings so my mind is filled with all sorts of thoughts of rims, hubs, cassettes and tyres. At present though my nemesis wheels are treated as the only wheel to use, the OEM clinchers only get time on the bike when it's on the rollers or strapped to the trailer.
@Cyclops I read of a solution somewhere to your ticking valves stem: before you mount the tubs, place a piece of stiff tape over the valve stem hole with a small guide hole cut in it (smaller than the diameter of the stem. when you push the valve stem through it should prevent it from moving enough to stop the ticking. (wheelsmith.com also produces decals for his own builds for this purpose.
A few years back I made a horrible choice and sold my first set of wheels. They were hand built by Steve at Cycle Cellar in Ann Arbor Michigan where I was working while I attended school (Univ of Michigan (Go Blue!)). They were Mavic Open 4 CD rims with 15/16 DT spokes front, 14/15 rear on Dura Ace 8 speed hubs (had full 7400 series). I know you guys like Campy but these hubs were high polished and beautiful to me. They were indestructible and I think in the 15 years I had them maybe I trued them once or twice. I don't know what got into me when I got my new #1 bike and thought these old Mavics were not good enough but I regret that decision to this day.
Tubulars......could write a book on stories. Maybe call it "The Joy of Tubs" and display it on the discreet shelf of cycling in Waterstones.
Went for a cold crisp February ride several years back on a pair of Mavic gp4's. Temp was below freezing but with bright blue skies and the sun showing the first signs of spring being round the corner, went on a 50mile "lumpy" loop on bike #1. Weather was clear but cold and with a brisk easterly wind which in the UK means cold, very cold. Still snow on the tops, and ridges of ice on the lanes in the usual spots to be mindfull of. Legs felt good, mashed it up the climbs and with the "sun in my spokes", felt fab. Yin and yang, having too much yin, yang went bang. Rear flat. Curses.
The cold temps had welded the tub to the rim and was not for being prized away. After 20 or so mins of trying , due to the windchill, I quickly cooled down to a point of uncontrollable shivering. Fingers stopped working, then hands . Used a stick to operate Moby to call VMH for taxi ride home.
Great article Frank. Reminds me that the wheelset (American Classic Aero 3 420) for my n+1 bike for next summer was the second purchase only after the frame was chosen..I have them, they are in the attic in wheelbags but somehow I just cannot bring myself to ride them yet. I cannot entertain putting them on my current bike even if just to see how they spin...it does not make logical sense...but that is the way of it. They will wait patiently until the spring and only then will they come out to play!