Eye Candy

Team Sky's Chris Sutton winning the last day of the race in the heart of Adelaide.

The new Pinarello Dogma 60.1 running Shimano's Di2. And the Prototype C50.
Spesh's new Tarmac SL3.

Zipp SL145

Good things come in little packages. This was never an option but I got some credit from my last purchase at Team Cyclist ( in the US) as it was their policy to price match and beat. I found one on the internet and needless to say, they honoured their claim.I needed a shorter stem and got the 100mm. Picture after I brought the bike in to the shop to have the excess fork steerer cut.
Notice the massively oversized stem/clamp area. One thing that drew me to the stem was Zipps claim of extreme stiffness. It may not matter to most, but for a small rider like me who practically pulls on the handlebars on climbs and sprints to squeeze out that extra bit of wattage, it matters.
On the old aluminium Avanti Corsa, stem flex/vibration were part of the daily ride order of the day. But going from that to the Pinarello stock MOST carbon, its been a delight. That was until I put the Zipps on. I guess its slightly biased as the 1cm drop does make a huge difference as well; I am finding that I am getting to ride more and more in a compact position.

In terms of weight; Ritchey 4Axis 100mm (116g)

Stock 'MOST' 110mm stem; (151g )
Zipp sl 145 100mm stem; (147g)

While the Ritchey wins hands down on weight, it is something I will not trade over for the stiffness of the Zipp's SL145. The former also exhibit more signs of flex as compare to the 'MOST' stem.

Strong Light CT2 and under-torque

Standard gearing 53/39 versus compack 50/34 cranks (which some traditionalist scoff at).
Frankly, I think the comapct ratio are a gem. Being 55kg and not very massive legs, I can hardly hold/pull the 53T for long. The only downside is the 34T combo which I find too low (unless I am cycling up the Pyrennes!). Thus, the 110 BCD makes it easier to change or upsize to a 38T. Spot anything wrong with the picture. I always thought over torque was bad but under torque can be worse. I didnt even notice anything until last weekends ride when I notice I had lost 3 of the 5 bolts holding the crank together! Here's the last surviving two.

Here's one area which I would not mind using steel bolts. The alloy inner bolts on the crank are already starting to round off.

Gore Ride On and Bontrager

With newer designs and wider and ever engorging bottom brackets, the front derailuer cable now has to thread through part of the frame. One of the criticisms of the design is that a small plastic sleeve is actually placed just when the cable curves up. Maintainance is an issue as dirt and gunk tend to built up much more easily.
Enter the Gore Ride On Sealed system with teflon cables which are said not to need lube during service. You can feel the 'teflon' immediately as you try to pull the cable to tension before screwing in the bolt clamp. Any difference in shifting? Not that I could notice, but I do not shift the front that often and the old cable arent that old to start with.The cable is pretty easy to install. Time needed: 30min max. The plastic sleeve runs all the way through.Cable/frame 'donuts' tend to slide up and down and congregate at an area after a while. Not much use. Install some Bontrager rubber sleeves/widgets on the outer cable.
Time needed: 20mins!! The are a pain to get onto the cable but once at the required location; DOES NOT MOVE.

Lightweight Clinchers

Courtesy of weight weenie website

1. 1095g, 2008 Carbonsports Lightweight Standard C, 110kg
2. 1099g, 2008 Lew Racing PRO VC-1, 16/20, 90kg
3. 1120g(A), 2008 American Classic Magnesium Clincher - Sapim Spokes
8. 1250g, 2008 DT Swiss RRC1250, 18/24, C, 90kg
9. 1255g, 2008 American Classic Magnesium Clincher - 28/32
10. 1300g, 2008 American Classic Sprint 350 28/32, 24/24mm
13. 1315g, 2008 FRM FL-R21 Aerolite SL HCB , 24/28,
17. 1350g, 2008 Rolf Prima Elan, 20/24, 23/23mm, A,
19. 1355g, 2008 Mavic R-SYS Clincher, 16/20, 22/26mm, A,
20. 1348g, 2008 HED Ardennes, 18/24
23. 1365g 2008 Bontrager XXX Lite, 20/24, 24/24mm,
24. 1370g, 2008 Fulcrum Racing Light Clincher, 22/24
25. 1386g, 2008 Shimano WH-7850-C24-CL , 16/20, 24/24mm

For the average cyclist, even a change to a lighter set of wheels can be felt almost immediately. It feels 'lighter', your ability to generate speed is quicker. And in a race/criterium situation, this becomes even more important with constant changes in speed.
There however comes a point when the cost benefit ratio of a set of wheels become ridiculous. Here's a list from weight weenie with the highlighted bits of what I deem the most cost effective set of clinchers.
Yours dun fair too badly down the list Mike but with a set of 202/303 tubs weighing less than 1100g, its something to consider.

Jockey Wheel Service

A simple service to keep things running smoothly. 20min tops.
Pictures from my mates trek madone. He rides and forgets. When I removed the chain, I was surprised how seized up it was.
Sand + chain grind = paste. Not a good combo. While the jockey wheels state 'sealed bearings'. I thought a few drops of dry lube actually made it smoother.

Going tubular? Zipp 606

The hubs are great and spin for much longer than my stock 'Most' Chall wheels.
The only drawback at this stage with the Zipp 606 clinchers is its weight.
Straight line speed is unmatched, but given a crit situation whereby changes in speed is expected, the 606 underperforms. As you would expect from the weigh, it's slow to pick up.
Which begs one to question, should I consider going tubulars? Zipp 303/404.
Sorry guys, its a Mikey post.

Weight conscious

Skewers (not the one for BBQ though)Zipp Stainless Steel = 112g

'Most' stock skewer = 116g

Token titanium = 44g

Lightweight at a price.. the price of fearing for your life when the wheels come off ;)

Juz kidding.

M5 Carbon Low Racer

"....Pushed to the very limits of his power by the incredible performance of Matt Weaver on Friday night, Sam Whittingham became the first man in history to exceed 80 miles per hour.."

Fuelled by the open stretches of clear open roads, a recumbent becomes an interesting option. Other than the frame, the rest (i.e. shifters, V/disc brakes) are made up of MTB and Road parts (Interesting when you've got spares lying around)

The M5 Low racer (available in full carbon too)

The interest continues if I did not recall wrongly, from my days at the Sports Council... I can clearly crank out 250watts!! Part of the reason for the higher speed: lower wind drag closer on the ground. The recumbent excels in headwind.The slightly 'slower' M5 ShockproofTaiwan made Performer low racer, which is almost a carbon copy of the M5 but for a lot less. Cheaper still if you only get the frame.

Effetto Mariposa

Nuts and bolts will never feel the same again.
Mike did warn me on the calibration needed for a torque wrench but its just an esstential tool that you cannot do without.
The selling point. Effeto guarantees an accuracy of +- 4% deviation for 5000 clicks before recalibration is needed. If you do the maths, assuming I tighten an average of 10 bolts or clicks per week, every week. That equates to roughly 500 clicks per year, which means the wrench is good for an least 8-10years!! Man, thats more than enough for me.
The other advantage, as you use it more often, your hand 'learns' the torque. You can just able feel it before it hits the 4Nm mark/click and you just ease off. So frankly, 10 clicks/per week is really more than you need.
The bits are also standard sizes that can be replaced at any hardware store so fret not if you lose your fav No4 and 5 allen size.

Park Tool PCS vs Tacx showdown

I've had the 2 workstands for a couple of weeks now and the winner comes down to this simple worktray. There was just not a place to get a worktray on the Park Tool stand other than spending more money on a proprietry one. For a similar if not cheaper price (<$200), the Tacx presents as great value for money. I'm so used to it now that I know exactly where my No 4 and 5 allen key is slotted. Spend an extra $20 on the PK magnetic bowl and you have a winner. It sticks extremely securely on the Tacx.
Not only that, the fact that it is supported by the bottom bracket and fork means that the bike is also more secure for hard nuts and bolts.

Tacx vs Park Tools PCS 10

The final piece to the workshop. Tacx's Spider Team bottom bracket vs Park Tools PCS10.
The Tacx is quick and easy to setup, pretty much good to go after opening the carton. Even comes with a handy tool tray. Its easier to stow away and is much lighter then the PCS 10.
Unfortunately with Park Tools, some assembly is required. Its much more suited to a fixed position. Not a stand I'd fold up, stow away and pull out when I need it. While its stable and also much more bulky; I wouldnt say its more stable that the Tacx.

The only main difference, the Tacx allows you to spin the bike 360 degrees while servicing (not the Park Tools).

But the Park Tools allows you to set the bike at any incline (if you foresee a lot of that happening, not that I could imagine a lot of scenarios).