Pedal changing...

Ah, change is in the air. Among cyclists, pedals are nearly as personal a topic as saddle choice. Back in the day, I naturally used Look pedals - being the first and only clipless pedal at the time. I then switched to Shimano for the float action. Then to Speedplay for the miraculous float and light action. Alas, the Speedplays are truly fantastic for riding...but the cleats are torture to even dab a toe at a stoplight. So, in my continuous quest for perfection, I'm trying out some Time Impact pedals - the pedals, incidentally, that came stock on the Giant TCR so many years ago.
I like the looks of them. Big, huge honkin' steel platform to situate my enormous feet on. Ample float. Even a little lateral float for good measure. They're on the bike, cleats are on the shoes...we will see tomorrow if my knees instantly fall off in protest.

Time has a newer version of these now...but they're plastic and look cheesy. And for some people at least, the front bit snaps off in short order. I'll try these, thank you.

Bike rides, missing cameras, and Pro Protest

Took the Trek out to Babler State Park to see what the fuss is about. Meh. Sure, it's a nice park, and it has some hills. But the hills - while steep - are not particularly long, and the rest of the lap is pretty flat/downhill. So sure, the brief hills are good for spiking your heart rate, the recovery is far, far too long. The hill by my brother's house is way better, because a) it's steeper than Babler; b) it's longer than Babler; c) way, way shorter recovery. Scenery is not as nice, though.

My camera, it is MIA. Last seen taking pictures of the Trek and niece M at my brother's place. Hopefully it is still over there, 'cause it wasn't in my bag when I got home! You can thank the MIA camera for the lack of pictures in this entry!

Pro Protest...Stage 9 of the Giro D'Italia was today, and the peloton staged a protest. I.e. didn't race. They tooled along at a modest pace for mostly the entire stage, then at the very end a few sprinter's teams got wound up and fought it out. "Ego Boy" Cavendish got the win. The protest was for overtly unsafe conditions - from various online sources there were cars parked on the course, too many pedestrians meandering around the course, and tram lines running parallel with the course. Tram lines + skinny bike tires = not good. Not having been there, I can't say for sure - but mostly I sympathize. Those guys race in some atrocious conditions, so it must have been really bad to lead to a mass slowdown. They are professionals, after all, their natural instinct is to go fast and race! To set that aside I figure they have their reasons.

Armstrong: Sandbagger?

Our esteemed cycling savior Lance Armstrong, who motivates thousands to don Livestrong gear and take to the streets, sidewalks, and multi-use paths on bicycles, lost 15 seconds in Stage 4 of the Giro d'Italia today. First "real" mountain stage - though not a killer by any means - after returning from 3 years of retirement, and he makes it to within the final kilometer before being "dropped"? Does he really expect me to believe that? I think he's sandbagging, to make people wonder just how strong he is.

It's still, in my opinion, too early to judge LA's chances in the Tour de France. I think his age will really show in how well he recovers each night, and what kind of strength he can hang onto through the last stage of a Grand Tour. It will be interesting to watch, no doubt about that.

Congratulations to the Italians on their podium sweep, it was well-earned.

Comments welcome. :)

2nd ride!

Yeow. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

Just kidding! After being fitted properly - dropping the saddle and bars a bit - I took the new Trek out to the familiar Creve Coeur Park stomping grounds. Yep, it's pretty fast. Initially I thought I had a tailwind, but no...went just as fast on the return. Legs could only tolerate about an hour of that kind of abuse. The Trek seems to hold speed better than the TCR, though this is completely inexplicable. I hit 20mph, and actually maintained it. Weird. Must be psychological. I also checked the circumference setting on the computer, but no - it was right.

In other news, CC Park has been overrun with cyclists - many of them apparently new as evidenced by their random weaving - wearing Livestrong paraphernalia. It looks like Lance fever is back. We'll see how he does in his first serious mountain stage since the return. Giro, oh yeah.

Side note

The top tube of the Trek is wide and flat. I feel the need to put something there. Like a couch. I can see why they're such a handy place to tape down a queue sheet...or to land an airplane on in an emergency. Very wide, very flat. Kinda cool.

First ride!

Just back from the maiden voyage of the Trek. About an hour, just tooling around the local area. Which is, I might add, nicely hilly. Nothing long, but some short hills with steep grades in places. So let's get to it.

Trek Madone 5.2, 62cm, nicely orange, outfitted with Easton Circuit wheels. For reference, my old road bike was a 2004 Giant TCR, XL size, bright yellow aluminum frame, same wheels that are now on the Trek. And my "old skool" ride, 1987 Centurion Ironman Master, 62cm, yellow and white, Mavic Open Pro rims, 32 spoke, Ultegra hubs.

The Trek is not noticeably stiffer than the TCR, neither had detectable bottom bracket flex, and they're both dead solid beneath you. The Centurion is, by contrast, almost nothing but flex. If you are putting any power into the pedals, it is flexing. Straight-line and downhill stability, the Trek has the edge on everything. The TCR was "twitchy", you had to be on it. The Centurion is, eh, unnerving? Unsettling? Frightening? Let's just say it doesn't go straight, and it doesn't like going downhill either. You are on it with white knuckles. The Trek, nicely, goes downhill and straight with great stability, and just goes where you want it to with minimal attention. It's a little "slow" compared to the TCR, but not sluggishly so. Solid would be a better word.

Weight-wise, the Trek is probably a good pound or two lighter than the TCR. Remember they have the same wheels, so that's not an issue. Acceleration on both is instant. Centurion, again, not so much. Heavy, and it feels like everything is time-delayed a bit.

Comfort. Now let's get into why I bought the Trek. The TCR was light, stiff, efficient, and reasonably confidence-inspiring. The Centurion is heavy, flexy, terrifying at times, and noticeably inefficient. But, it rides like a Cadillac: smooth and quiet. The TCR rang, literally, like a high-pitched bell. It makes you go numb if you don't shift around frequently.

I wanted the efficiency of the TCR, with the comfort and quiet of the Centurion. The Trek, I am happy to report, delivers. It's nothing astounding, nothing earth-shattering. But it is noticeable. You get the smooth, quiet, bump-dulling, all but vibration-free ride of the Centurion, with all the speed and efficiency of the TCR. With the added bonus of less weight and more stability and confidence. And of course a much lighter and more streamlined wallet.

So it would appear my goal has been achieved. Still a LOT of adjustments to position to make, and that will affect handling to a degree. Seat needs to come down and forward at least 1cm. Handlebars need to drop - maybe 2cm? And, depending on how that works out, maybe come in 1cm. I felt like I was riding a mountain bike I was so upright, and was definitely having to reach for the pedals. I am reserving judgement on the Bontrager tires, but they felt a little squirelly at 110psi. Could be because I was so upright, the rear was supporting way too much weight.

And the seat will most likely have to go. I've only got a couple hours on the Trek, but the seat already bothers me. I think the nose is too wide, and the back is too narrow. Nice padding, though...soft but not too soft, if you know what I mean.

Bicycle wheels

I've been checking out the HED Ardennes wheel. The rim is 23mm wide, rather than the normal 19-20mm. This spreads out the wheel, more like how motorcycle tires mount. Here's a pic of a Michelin Pro3 on the Ardennes vs. a CXP33 rim. You can clearly see the flatter, rounder profile the wider rim provides. Should, in theory, give better contact patch, smoother transition when leaning, less "flopover" effect...Interesting. The only downside would be if you raced, and had to rely on neutral wheel support. Brake pads would need adjusting.

I wonder if this will lead to tires getting wider. Wider tires = more weight, but if you gain way more traction, that might offset the weight. Especially in, say, criterium racing or mountain descents. What I'd like to see is a 25mm rim, and 25mm tire in a roll-down test with 23mm rim/tire and 19mm/23mm rim/tire. That data might be enlightening. And maybe some lateral g numbers, like they do for cars. And of course weight comparisons, for the weight weenie in all of us.