I’ve been a fan of Danilo Di Luca a long time, and to tell the truth, was much more suspect of Menchov’s performance at the Giro than I was of Di Luca’s; Menchov rode the last few days of the Giro like it was a Sunday spin, while Di Luca seemed to visibly tire with…
The Archives
I miss downtube shifters. I miss them in the same way I miss the days before the widespread use of race radios, when races were less choreographed and more unpredictable. Racing on downtube shifters, a rider had to be seated and take one hand off the bars to shift. Shifting had to be planned into…
In keeping with the retro thread from Frank and his MB-Zip, here is the bike I spent my weekend on: For those of you squinting, it’s a Specialized Rock Hopper, circa 1988. This museum piece is my ride of choice when visiting my in-laws in Boise, ID. It’s perfect for the miles and miles of…
I am a nod snob. The fact is, I’m a bit of a cycling snob all-around. I am not a “biker” and I do not “like to bike”. I am a cyclist and I like to ride. What’s more, as I outlined before, there are very loosely defined parameters under which I will bestow a…
Things were always better in “the good old days”. That’s what my mate Johnny Klink always says, especially when we’re talking about mountain biking (which is 99% of our conversations). We were turned on to the sport around the same time in the early 90’s, and even though we didn’t meet until the latter part…
About a year and a half ago, as I was just starting to get really serious about cycling again after dabbling for about a decade, Michelle bought me every past issue of Rouleur and got me a two-year subscription. This is not a bike magazine. This is a quarterly publication for cyclists. It is printed…
Michelle and I hit the trail on Saturday to take our newly acquired mountain bikes for their maiden voyage on the Grand Ridge trail near Issaquah, Washington. We were pleasantly surprised with the quality of the trail, and elated with our bikes. The only trouble we got into was with me going a bit too…
Despite their obvious utility, I’m not a big fan of Fixies. I understand they have minimal maintenance – which make them great for commuting – and the fixed gear forces excellent pedaling technique. But the wide-spread adoption of these bikes has less to do with those two considerations than they do with fad. But fads…
Whenever anybody asks me “what are your favourite films”, when my answer is proffered I’m usually met with a blank stare akin to a dog being shown a card trick. Along with the likes of Fargo, Being John Malkovich and Easy Rider, one of the first names out of my mouth is usually Breaking Away. “Breaking A-what-now?”…
Phase I of Operation Get Back Into Mountain Biking is complete. This week, we bought Michelle a used Cannondale Prophet. Comparing this thing to my Zip is a study in how dramatically times have changed. Looking at the bikes side-by-side, it seems the only similarity is the fact that they both use wheels, are powered…
Did I need new cycling shoes? Absolutely not. In fact, as I rode that day I planned a product review post for my one year old Specialized road shoes. A year seems like a good long time to get to know intimately one’s cycling shoes. My review would be quite positive: light, comfortable, not too…
Fitting yourself to your bike properly and being comfortable while riding is probably the most important aspect of cycling. It doesn’t matter if you’re riding the Worlds Lightest Bike or your Clunker Rain Bike/commuter; if you feel good on your bike, it will be a pleasure to ride. My 10 kilo, 8-Speed Shimano 105, fender…
The tour has been over for a week now, not that I really noticed. And that should have been a capital ‘T’ in “tour”, right? Mea culpa. And a yawn. Don’t get me wrong –I have nothing against the tour. I even think the route was fine (they rode their butts off around France, what more…
Flandrian. While its real definition is a lot more complex than I’d ever imagined, it’s a word that is bandied about frequently here in relation to weather matters far less serious. If it’s bucketing down, a stiff breeze blowing or the air has that frosty bite to it, we are inclined to state “It’s a…
When I was growing up, my family and I did a lot of mountain biking. It was really just a matter of training; we were nordic ski racers and the heart-rate patterns in both sports seemed to be more similar than between road biking and skiing and the intense efforts to ride up steep, technical…
The scorching sprint-dust and verbal detritus emanating from the Manx Mouth hasn’t even settled on the Champs Elysees, and already talk has turned to next year’s Tour. Not surprising, as most of the armchair (and ‘expert’) assessment of this year’s race has been less than complimentary, to say the least. So already we look ahead, hoping…
The Tour has wrapped up for 2009 and it fulfilled it’s usual place in the calendar as the biggest – but not greatest – cycling event of the year. It was strange getting up this morning and not having the Tour blasting on Versus while we got ready for work; I miss Phil and Paul…
Well, it’s time for predictions using my carbon ball, which is lighter if less effective for peering into than your typical crystal ball commonly used for these types of activities. Status Check: Condator has pulled off the impossible duality of being both the best climber in the world and the best time-trialist. Some people…
For those cyclists who might shop at the Big and Tall shop, we are a minority, we stand out in a pace line, we don’t go up steep hills well but we all should worship at the altar of Eros Poli. Eros Poli! When one is named John, Poli is already deserving of idolatry. A…