A Velominatus maintains their machine with meticulous care, doting over it daily. A bicycle is a tool, but it is also a work of art, and serves us loyally in pursuit of our craft. We love them as though they were alive; as we grow together, the cracks and lines formed upon both our skins signifies the journey that has passed beneath our wheels.
A clean bicycle with a boastful luster inspires pride; I find myself constantly fighting the urge to carry mine upstairs to sit by the dinner table each time it has been cleaned, the bar tape freshly wrapped, or any old component swapped for a new one. I’m sure a psychiatrist would have a thing or two to say about it; I know the VMH does.
And yet, there are times when it pains me to clean my machine. After our first day on the Cobbles of Roubaix on Keepers Tour 2012, I left my bike dirty for two days because I couldn’t bring myself to rid her frame of the sacred dust that had accumulated after a day’s hard riding over some of the most hallowed roads in the world. A week later, I suffered the same condition the day after riding the route of De Ronde through hail, rain, and wind which left our machines covered in mud, manure, and Merckx knows what else. I think some part of me hoped the Flemish spirit held within all that grit would somehow be absorbed by my bike, that it would somehow help complete her soul.
But this kind of sacred dirt, the kind we don’t want to wash from our steeds, isn’t found only on the holy roads of Northern Europe. I found myself with the same reluctance to clean my Graveur after riding Heck of the North this year; a race held outside a small Northern Minnesota town nearly half a world from Flanders. I also serendipitously found photos Pavé William took of his Rosin after riding the Strade Bianche, documenting the covering of white dust upon its tubes. This condition afflicts us all, it would seem.
Any dirt becomes holy when we’ve suffered through it, when it took something from us in order to find its way onto our bikes and clothing. Sacred Dirt it is created spontaneously after prolonged exposure to The V.
Vive la Vie Velominatus.
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@revchuck
I had the same experience as @DCR and feel the biggest difference in ride quality comes from the quality of the tire itself moreso than the width.
That said, one think I noticed is there was zero noticeable difference between GP4000 in 23 vs 25 at the same pressure; when I dropped the pressure a bit in the 25 (5 PSI), I noticed an improvement in vibration dampening. Turns out a wider tire at the same pressure is relatively harder than a narrow tire at low pressure, though I am not sure I understand the physics behind that.
@frank Oh shit.
Enter "rolling resistance and tire width/pressure" discussion number 27.
@EricW
Very nice. Same thing I said to @nate but with the added advise of getting a V kit.
@frank
The GP4000s I have in 25 mounted up on the H+Son Archetypes measure out to about 27mm due to the wide rim (23mm I think). Super comfortable and excellent grip.
I find I can comfortably run about 10 pounds less in them than when they were mounted up on a set of Ksyriums. Like the others, I did not notice a huge difference between GP4000s 23 and 25 on the Ksyriums.
Only downside I could see with lower pressure in a larger tire is the increased contact patch. May equal more grip but also more rolling resistance.
I feel like 25s at slightly lower pressure roll faster on rough roads than 23s. Even if they didn't I am happy to have a bit larger contact patch for technical descents on less than perfect roads.
@Nate
+1 I'm becoming a connoisseur of chipseal, and lower-pressure 25s have improved my quality of life a lot.
@PeakInTwoYears
And apparently a wider rim like a Hed C2 or a Velocity A23 allows you to run a lower pressure than the same size tire on a narrower rim - I believe Hed recommends at least 11% lower pressure than on a 19mm rim. I went the other way on my C2s and went from 25mm tires to 23mm which I run at the same pressure as I ran with my 25s on my Open Pro rims. The fact that they are Vittoria Open Corsa SCs with a high tpi count is what adds the improved ride quality, which speaks to Frank's point about the quality of the tire making the biggest difference. For my experiences, a wide rim with a supple tire is the best you can get if you're going to ride clinchers. I've never ridden tubeless though so maybe that's better, but If I'm going to go to that effort, I'll just ride tubulars.
@VeloVita
Interesting. I'm going to try the Vittorias next. I ran tubs back in the day, and they were/are amazingly better. /sigh/
@RedRanger
Working on it!
I still have not cleaned the dirt from the Fondo off my rims on the Colnago, although the drivetrain and frame are spick and span. I like the look of dirty wheels, it reminds me of the places they've rolled. That said, I should probably give them a wipe down soon.