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Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Jean-Claude Lebaube
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| Jean-Claude Lebaube |
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| Jean-Claude Lebaube 1962 |
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| Jean-Claude Lebaube 1963 |
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| Jean-Claude Lebaube in the 1966 Tour de France |
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| Jean-Claude Lebaube's 1966 Race Bike |
Monday, October 29, 2012
Bicycle Commuting. Is it time for another bicycle boom?
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| This is my Surly Long Haul Trucker bicycle that I use for commuting to work. Over the past couple of years I have made many trips back and forth to work on this bicycle. I don't commute when there is extreme weather in the forecast (bad storms, high winds or ice). Extremes in temperature haven't been much of a problem. Most of the time I wear regular clothing not specific to cycling except for my cycling shoes that have cleats on the bottoms of them. With a commute distance of 10 to 14 miles each way, depending on the way I go, I estimate that I have saved enough over driving my car to have paid for my bicycle a little more than two times. Don't get me wrong, a car is still a necessity to me and I enjoy the convenience of it. Riding my bike to work and to run an occasional errand is a way for me to ride my bicycle more in addition to saving money. I consider that a win win situation. I see more and more people commuting to work by bicycles on my rides in to work. I am sure in towns with better greenway systems and bicycle lanes there must be much larger numbers. The recent economic times remind me of the early seventies when we had a bicycle boom. In the seventies we were facing rising energy costs and inflation similar to what we are experiencing now. In the seventies a common subject of discussion was the trade deficit, while now it is the huge budget deficit that is scaring everyone. In the seventies unemployment was high similar to recent times. In the seventies manufacturing jobs were being lost to off shore locations. Now it is technology jobs and support that is being lost to off shore locations. In the early seventies our nation was involved in a war, now our nation is involved in more than one military actions. Is it time for another bicycle boom like we had in the early seventies? I think it might be. |
The boom received a kick start in the mid 60s with the advent of the Schwinn Sting-Ray and other wheelie bikes. Sales reached 4 million units per year for the first time. At the height of the boom, in 1972, 1973, and 1974, more bicycles than automobiles were sold in the U.S.
Additional factors contributing to the U.S. bike boom included affordable racing bicycles becoming widely available and versatile 10-speed derailleur-geared available, the arrival of many post-World War II baby boomers at adulthood and demanding inexpensive transportation for recreation and exercise, increasing interest in reducing pollution, and the 1973 oil crisis, which increased the cost of driving an automobile, making bicycle commuting a more attractive option.
Following is a list of the bare necessities required to get started bike commuting:
- A bicycle. Any reliable bike will do, so long as it’s appropriately geared for the terrain. Puncture proof tires (or tire liners) are a good idea.
- Lights. A set of small, modern LED lights is sufficient.
- A repair kit. It’s good to carry a small multi-tool, a patch kit, a small pump, and a spare tube for those inevitable roadside repairs. It’s a good idea to practice a couple of flat repairs at home prior to hitting the road.
- A lock. A high-quality U-lock is a must. Even if a person has secure bike parking, it’s good to carry a lock for shopping, meetings, etc.
- A way to carry things. This could be as simple as a small backpack or as elaborate as a set of touring panniers. My favorite for everyday use is a simple grocery pannier.
- Motivation. The most important element is the desire to get out of the car and do a good thing for oneself and the planet.
That’s about it. Of course, a person can get much more elaborate if they so choose, but the fact is, bike commuting is a simple activity that doesn’t require much in the way of specialized equipment or training.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Gunnar Roadie - Project Bike - 2nd ride on a windy day
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| Gunnar Roadie
With a cool front blowing in from the west and a major storm brewing off of the North Carolina coast these combined to make today a windy day to ride a bicycle. I headed out to try and make the group ride that was leaving from Lewisville. I was running a little late and when I got on the road and started battling into a head wind, I thought I probably wasn't going to make it there in time. Sure enough when I arrived at the Lewisville Town Square the group of riders had already left.
I was feeling good and enjoying riding the Gunnar Roadie, so I didn't even slow down at the town square, and just headed on for the community of East Bend, NC. I'm still making adjustment to the fit of the Gunnar Roadie and as I rolled through East Bend I was deciding on where and what adjustments to make to the Roadie. I knew I wanted to roll the handlebar down some and was looking for a good spot to make the adjustment. I pulled off to the side of Smithtown Road and got out my multi-tool to make the adjustment. Just as I was loosening the stem bolts to roll the bar down a bit, a lone rider passed by hunched low over his handlebars and pedaling hard straight into the head wind. I rolled my bars down some and tighten the handlebars in a hurry. I wanted to catch up to the rider who had just passed so we could work together and make our progress easier into the headwind. Once I reeled him in I sat in his draft. He pulled for a while and then pulled off. I haven't gotten around to putting a computer on the Gunnar Roadie and didn't know how fast we were going. I was trying to hold a steady pace on the front while he was drafting and wanted to do my share of the work. As the road turned we really were headed directly into a headwind. I clicked to an easier gear on the back of the Gunnar and picked my cadence up a bit. After I felt I had pulled for a fair distance I pulled off of to the left. The other rider pulled along side and said "I don't mind pulling, but I'm not going to be holding a steady 24 mph the way you have been doing. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the Gunnar Roadie had been performing. I didn't feel like I was working very hard or going very fast. The Roadie is just such a smooth and stable riding bike that it surprises me. I had been enjoying the bike's great ride and handling from the first pedal stroke of today's ride. At this point I introduced myself to my riding partner and asked his name and destination. He told me his name is Joe and that he was turning left at the bottom of Richmond Hill and heading to his home in Booneville, NC. We chatted awhile and then he turned left just before we reached the Rockford Bridge. I turned right onto an unpaved road to try the Gunnar Roadie out on a surface other than pavement. |
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| This is what the dirt road looks like that runs along the river as seen from the Gunnar Roadie. |
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| The bikes on the porch of the Rockford General Store. |
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The Gunnar Roadie in good company on the front porch of the Rockford General Store.
This is the sink in the men's restroom. I know this is a strange thing to take a photo of but I always get a kick out of this sink. When you push down a button behind the wash tub, that serves as the sink, water flows out of the red pump into the wash tub. There is a drain in the bottom of the old wash tub.
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| My ice cold Coca-Cola. Just like the good ole days! |
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| Half way between Rockford and Siloam was this view of Pilot Mountain. I stopped to take this photo then hurried to catch back up to the other three. |
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| My three new riding partners: Chris, Brian and Chuck. |
Today was a day full of winds from all directions. Thankfully the temperature was right around 60 degrees for most of the ride. In the video below Lynyrd Skynyrd performs a song titled "Call Me The Breeze" in 1976.
Click here to learn more about Gunnar Cycles.
Click here to learn more about Velocity Rims and Hubs.
Click here to learn more about The Rockford General Store.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Brian Robinson
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| Brian Robinson |
Robinson began riding with the Huddersfield Road Club at the age of 13. He joined the club as soon as he reached the minimum age of 14 years. His father and brother were already riding with the club. His father would not let him race until he was 18 year old.
His first race was a time trial. The type of racing he wanted to do was mass start races.
The National Cyclists' Union banned all bicycle racing on public roads in 1890. They were afraid it would cause all cyclists to not be allowed to ride on the roads. It required all mass start races to be held on tracks or closed roads such as in parks and airfields. The only races allowed on public roads were time-trials and distance and place to place record attempts. Time trials were held at the very early morning hours and very discretely. Racers were required to wear all black clothing so as not to draw much attention to themselves. The ban on mass start road races went on until the 1950s when the NCU merged with the BLRC (British League of Racing Cyclists).
Robinson raced the Route de France, the amateur version of the Tour de France, in 1952 as a member of the NCU/Army team. He was doing his national service at the time. With only three days to go he was in fifth place overall. He had a tough time in the Pyrennes and finished in 40th place. He said "I had never seen mountains like that before". At the 1952 world championships Robinson tied with Jacgues Anguetil for eighth place.
In 1953 Brian Robinson finished his national service and joined the Ellis Briggs team as an independent or semi-professional. In 1954 he finished the Tour of Britain in 2nd place overall.
The Hercules Bicycle Company wanted to enter a British team in the 1955 Tour de France. In 1955 the Tour de France was raced by national teams. The British team featured riders with several different sponsors. Robinson was sponsored by Hercules. Only two British riders finished the Tour de France; Brian Robinson in 29th place and Tony Hoar in last place. They were the first British racers to ever finish the Tour de France.
Teams consisting of riders from different countries and sponsored by businesses instead of national teams were allowed to compete in the 1956 Tour de France. Robinson joined a team that had the famed climber Charley Gaul on it. Robinson finished the tour in 14th place overall and his teammate Charley Gaul finished in 13th place.
At the 1956 Vuelta a Espana Robinson finished in eighth place overall.
Brian Robinson won the 1957 edition of Milan-San Remo. This was his first win as a professional bike racer. Unfortunately at the 1957 Tour de France he crashed on wet cobblestones and injured his wrist. The wrist injury prevented him from finishing the 1957 tour.
At the 1958 Tour de France Brian Robinson became the first Briton to win a stage. He won the seventh stage. Arigo Padovan actually crossed the finish line first, but was relegated to second place for dangerous sprinting.
Robinson won another stage of the Tour de France in 1959. This time he won the 20th stage by a margin of 20 minutes. This put him in 9th place overall in the general classification. The next day he suffered for his stage winning efforts and finished outside of the time limit and expected to be eliminated from the race. He was saved by the rule that any rider in the top 10 places would not be eliminated for falling outside of the time limit. At the end of the 1959 Tour de France Robinson finished in 19th place.
He finished two more Tour de Frances , 1960 and the 1961 edition, in 26th and 53rd place. Robinson won the 1961 Criterium de Dauphine Libere.
At the age of 33 Brian Robinson retired from professional racing.
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| Brian Robinson at the 1961 Dauphine |
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| Brian Robinson at the 1961 Dauphine |
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Surly Long Haul Trucker - Commuting To Work - Southern Culture On The Skids
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| Poor ole' Joe is glad to see me at the end of my commute!
Today was a perfect day to commute to work by bicycle. This morning the temperature was around 50 degrees and then it warmed up to around 70 degrees for may evening ride.
The Surly Long Haul Trucker has hauled me back and forth to work many times without fail. It's been a work horse of a bike. I'm sure it's time to do a little maintenance on it. That's one of the things I'll do tomorrow.
I have always assumed it was just normal southern culture to wave or speak to folks that you meet. Or is that just a small town thing. I do it anyway and still consider it to be southern culture. I always wave and speak to other cyclists I meet while riding to and from work. It always irritates me when the other cyclists completely ignore me as if I don't even exist. I wave and say hello just the same. Maybe I'm old fashion or it's just that I've lived in too many small towns over the years. On the way home I saw my friend Skip riding the other direction. As we met Skip and I greeted each other with a wave and a hello. That's the way it should be. I just consider the ignoring cyclists to be a sign of Southern Culture On The Skids!
There's a band from Chapel Hill, NC named Southern Culture On The Skids. In the video below they perform a song titled "Voodoo Cadillac" in their home town back in 2004.
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Monday, October 22, 2012
Gunnar Roadie - Project Bike - First Test Ride on a Beautiful Day
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| The Gunnar Roadie Project Bike is built up and ready to ride. It turned out great looking! This bike is meant to be a fast and reliable road bike. It is built with a full Shimano 6700 Ultegra groupo. The handlebar, stem and seatpost are all Pro Vibe 7 items. The saddle is a Pro Turnix. Pro is Shimano's handlebar, stem, etc. line of bike parts. The wheels are handbuilt using Velocity hubs and rims. Click here to learn more about the wheels on the Gunnar Roadie. |
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| The complete bike ready to ride weighed in at 18 pounds and 13 ounces. That's a great weight for a steel frame, made with over sized tubing and a steel fork. Also the parts used to build this bike lean more towards durable than light weight. Click here to see the bare frame and fork weight. |
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| Pro Vibe 7 stem and handlebar. |
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| Pro Vibe 7 seatpost and a Pro Turnix Saddle. |
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| Shimano 6700 Ultegra Crankset with 53 and 39 tooth chainrings. |
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| Shimano 6700 Ultegra rear derailleur, chain and cassette (11-23). |
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| For a first test ride I took the Gunnar Roadie for a 40 mile loop I have been doing on a regular basis for a number of years. The only thing this bike doesn't have right now is a computer. It took me approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes today to complete the loop. I stopped at least 3 times to make quick adjustments to the fit on the bike. I took a multi-tool with me to make adjustments during the ride. This is the hard way to get a bike dialed in. A bike fitting session is a real value compared to trying to do it this way. |
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| It was an unbelievably beautiful day to go for a bike ride. The skies were clear and the temperature was right around 70 degrees. The Gunnar Roadie is a smooth riding bike. The thing I enjoyed most about riding this bike was the way it handled. The alignment of this frameset and the tube selection the folks at Gunnar do is to be given credit for the fantastic handling. Going into a turn fast was a lot of fun on this bike. Accelerations and sprints are a strong point on the Roadie. The Gunnar Roadie is a high performance bicycle that can be ridden for many years. Click here to learn more about Gunner Cycles. |
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| Poor ole' Joe kept me company while I wiped down the Gunnar Roadie after I got back in. |
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Fiorenzo Magni - One of cycling's all time greatest riders passed away October 19, 2012 at the age of 91
This video shows Forenzo Magni Racing. Click here to learn more about him.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Hell On Two Wheels by Amy Snyder
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| Hell On Two Wheels by Amy Snyder Published by: Triumph Books Published: 6, 2011 www.triumpbooks.com Pages: 272 Printed in the USA
Amy Snyder followed a hand full of ultra-distance cyclists before, during and after the 2009 RAAM to gain knowledge of what the racers go through during this event. She wrote the book, Hell On Two Wheels, describing the race. The top finishers of the 2009 RAAM were the closest of any edition of this race.
RAAM or the Race Across America, is a race across the United States. Starting in 1982, it was originally called the Great American Bike Race. It has always been run from the West Coast to the East Coast and is approximately 3,000 miles in length. The 2009 RAAM started in Oceanside, California and ended in Annapolis, Maryland. It is competed by solo riders as well as teams of riders. It usually takes the winner around 9 days to finish the race. The timing clock doesn't stop for racers to sleep, so they ride with only short naps for rest.
Racers are followed by support crews in multiple vehicles and usually a motor home. The crew members suffer from lack of sleep similar to the racers and are crucial to the racers success in completing the race. The support vehicles have loud speakers attached to them. The support crews often play music, tell jokes and do anything they can think of to motivate their rider.
Snyder, along with a driver, followed the race in a mini-van. She drove back and forth from one racer to the other through out the race. It must have been hard on her and her driver as well.
The book does a good job of telling what motivates the racers and the drive it takes to finish RAAM. During the race many of the racers suffer from saddle sores, hallucinations, heart-conditions and a condition called "Shermer's Neck".
Shermer's neck is named after ultra-distance cyclist and RAAM competitor Michale Shermer. He suffered this terrible condition while competing in the 1983 RAAM. Shermer's Neck is a complete failure of the neck muscles. Suffers' heads flop around on their shoulders like a rag doll's head. They are unable to hold their head up at all. Some competitor's continue on with neck braces to support their heads. Suffer's eventually recover from Shermer's Neck, but I'm sure it must be painful and scary.
I was slow to warm up to this book. Once I got into I had to read on to see what happened next. This is a great book to read and it is motivational to see what is really possible if you work at something. Truly an amazing event!
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Click here to visit the Race Across America web site.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
A road bike with fenders
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| Monday is my day off from work and really the only day lately I seem to have a chance to get in a ride. Lately we have had a lot of rain on Mondays. This week it cleared up around lunch time. There's always some places on the road where the water hasn't dried up completely. It's nice on a day like today to have a road bike with fenders. The large saddle bag on this bike contains my flat repair kit and a rain jacket, just in case. Is this bike slower than a modern carbon fiber racing bike? Maybe, but does it matter? I think I will be able to keep up since I'm riding by myself. Besides this is a fixed gear bike anyway. |
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| When I started out it was sunny with a slight breeze blowing. My plan was to head south towards Davidson County. As I headed that way it started to look Stormy. I changed my course and headed towards the back gate of Tanglewood Park in Clemmons, NC. At the back gate I looked at the sky to decide which way to go. To the south the sky looked very stormy and to the north the sun was shinning brightly and the sky was clear. So naturally I headed for sunshine. |
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| Sunny and clear skies heading into the back entrance of Tanglewood Park. I added a lap around the traditional "Mill Loop" and made it back in without any rain. There were a few places that the roads were still wet. The fenders on the bike kept spray from the tires off me and the bike. Thank goodness for a nice dry ride. |
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| Poor ole' Joe kept me company as I cleaned up my bike after the ride.
In 1968 The Classic IV performed a song titled "Stormy".
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Monday, October 15, 2012
Rene Vietto
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| Rene Vietto |
During the 1934 Tour de France Rene Vietto won 4 stages; stages 7,9,11 and 18. He also won the mountains classification for best climber and finished in 5th place overall in the general classification.
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| Rene Vietto sits on a rock wall waiting for support while the race passes by.
The 1934 Tour de France was raced by national teams. Vietto was supporting Antonin Magne, the French team captain. During stage 15 Magne crashed and broke his front wheel. Vietto stopped and gave him his front wheel. The next day Vietto was the first racer over the top of the the first two mountains of the 16th stage. He had descended the Portet d' Aspet when a race marshall on a motorcycle rode up to him to inform him that Magne had crashed and broken his bicycle. Magne turned around and rode back up the mountain through the on coming descending racers. Magne had broken his back wheel. Vietto gave Magne his bike and waited again for support to bring him a new bicycle. He always felt that he could have won the 1934 Tour de France if he hadn't lost the time waiting on support during those two stages.
Rene Vietto never won the tour. He wore the yellow jersey of the Tour de France race leader for 15 stages of the 1938 Tour de France and for 14 stages during the 1947 Tour de France. He finished second in 1939, fifth in 1934 and 1947 and eighth in 1935. After his second place finish in the 1939 tour World War II broke out and the Tour de France wouldn't be held again until 1947. Rene Vietto is another racer whose career was interrupted by a World War at the height of his abilities. One has to wonder what his Tour de France record would have been if he hadn't lost 6 years of opportunity.
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| Rene Vietto finishes a rain soaked stage 11 of the 1934 Tour de France, from Nice to Cannes. |
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| Rene Vietto leads Vincente Trueba over the climb of the Col du Tourmalet during stage 18 of the 1934 Tour de France. |
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| Rene Vietto, repairs a flat at the summit of the Galibier during the 1939 Tour de France. Tour director Henri Desgrange keeps an eye on thinks. |
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| During the 18th stage of the 1934 Tour de France Rene Vietto rides away solo over the Tourmalet. He stays away from the field by himself over the Aubisque and crosses the finish line by himself. He finishes 2 minutes and 57 seconds ahead of Roger Lapebie, the second place finisher of that stage. |
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| Rene Vietto is the first rider over the Aubisque during the 1934 Tour de France. Be sure and take note of the rough road conditions that they were racing on. |
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| Rene Vietto receives a wheel from neutral support during the 1934 Tour de France. |
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| Rene Vietto during the 1937 Tour de France. |
Friday, October 12, 2012
Gunnar Sport - Time Enough
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| Gunnar Sport |
Below are three videos of The Twilight Zone featuring Burgess Meredith. This episode is titled "Time Enough At Last".
The Twilight Zone is a television series created by Rod Serling. The original series ran from 1959 to 1964.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Gunnar Roadie - Project Bike - Boeshield T-9
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| The Gunnar Roadie project bike is almost ready to be built up. Gunnar Roadie is Gunnar Cycles' road racing frame. It is designed for efficient transfer of power and responsive handling. |
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| The Gunnar Roadie project bike in the 2012 color of the year; English blue with white panels. |
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| In size 52cm the Gunnar Roadie project bike frame weighs 3 pounds & 7 ounces. This is the weight of the frame as it should be weighed. Many companies publish frame weights that are misleading. They weigh many frames to find the lightest one they can find. They also weigh the frames without any paint, derailleur hanger, seat clamp, or water-bottle cage bolts. Paint alone can easily weigh 1/4th of a pound. |
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| The Gunnar decal on the headtube is a sprocket with a dog paw print in the center. |
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| In metric measurement the Gunnar Roadie frame weighs 1570 grams. |
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| 2 pounds 2 ounces for the Gunnar Roadie fork is not a true weight. |
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| We'll see what the weight is when this ridiculously long steer tube is trimmed down some. |
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The Gunnar Roadie fork with a crazy long steer tube in metric measurements is 970 grams. |
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| Steel bicycle frames and forks should be treated on the inside to prevent corrosion (rust) before being assembled. We used Boeshield T-9 to treat the Gunnar Roadie. Boeshield T-9 was developed by The Boeing Company to fill their need for a superior lubricant/protectorant. This also makes an excellent chain lube. Once the chain needs lubrication on the Gunnar Roadie I plan to try Boeshield on the chain. I'll let you know what I think of it. Click here for more information on Boeshield T-9. |
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| Treating a steel bicycle frame for internal corrosion is always a messy job. The protectorant is sprayed inside all the tubes and then the frame must me moved in all directions to be sure it is uniformly coated on the inside. I like to let them sit over night before starting to assemble them. I rotate them around several times during the waiting period. |
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Gunnar Cycles are handcrafted in Waterford, Wisconsin, USA.
This is Gunnar the dog. The company is named after this chocolate Labrador retriever. The folks at Waterford decided Gunnar's attributes described what was desirable in a bicycle frame.
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