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Well, the action at Le Tour has been pretty hot. First team time trial in years and possible Astana drama have made for quite the spectacle at not even a week in. We should all do a little pulling for Vande Velde — our ‘native son.’

This article in the Tribune today further solidified my lack of desire to own a car. Not only can I simply not afford one, congestion is only going to get worse — especially because I’ve noticed a decrase in trafficn and I don’t even sit in it. Let’s not even get started on the city’s parking debacle.

In addition to last week’s interview; take the survey and help out if you ride a Torker.

And, speaking of ‘cool,’ what’s up with this weather? Climate-change is getting real spooky. I’m afraind I’ll catch cold riding home in ths rain (I forgot fenders). Oh well. If post “sneeze” on Twitter I guess you’ll have your answer.

While there are an extensive variety of bicycle commuters out there, I tend to feel a bit atypical. What is practical for most is not always what I’m looking for. As much as it costs me time in maintenance and, to a certain extent comfort, I continue to find it most practical for me to commute on bikes I also race. This is not to say I will never own a “commuter bike,” just not right now. However, I can not help but be intrigued by the following product.

The Fallbrook NuVinci “transmission” can be applied to several different transport applications, as well as wind turbines. When I first heard about it today, I found that it is readily available in bicycle hubs. You can go to your local shop and, as long as they have a QBP account, order one up.

I am continually interested in internal gearing and hubs with enclosed shifting mechanisms. The NuVinci takes this to a whole new level. Here in Chicago we may not fully benefit from it (due to our lack of hills, etc.) but a fully loaded bike on it’s way home from the grocery store would surely benefit from one of these when you need to get up that expressway overpass.

Personally, I’d love to try one out just to feel the way it “shifts.” My current plan for a commuter – if I can get one together practically – is single-speed. But, I’d defiently consider one of these if possible. Only drawback I can see is weight. Available only in 36 hole means that you’ll get a strong, but heavy wheel. Either way, I just found it cool.

I really like the forum on Cyclocross Magazine’s website. A lot of really good questions get asked there and they’re almost always answered well. A couple recent discussions I participated in over there brought up the issue of bike-fit. I really can not stress the importance of a good bike fit enough. If you think you like riding/racing now, after getting a professional fit you may find it hard to get out of the saddle day in and day out.

You can fit your bike yourself. In fact, I’d say that if you haven’t at least followed the steps found here, you are doing yourself a dis-service. However, to fully garner all the benefits of the process you should have outside input.

There are several processes that I’m somewhat familiar with. A popular one is the Retül Fitting and you can also have  high-precision fittings done locally using the Fitmaster; made in Wisconsin by Waterford. Both, if done by a qualified professional, will make your entire riding experience a better one.

Personally, I’ve had Wobblenaught fitting performed on my road bike. It also allowed me to take the same numbers generated by its measurements and apply them to my cyclocross bike. I will say that mountain bikes are measured totally differently than road and ‘cross bikes, so if you’re an MTB enthusiast you’ll want a separate fitting for that particular bike. (If I wasn’t so currently soured on serious MTB riding, I would be bringing mine in ASAP.) If you are interested in this fitting, please email me and I will give you the number to set up an appointment.

The measurements taken of riders’ physiques then applied to bike size and set-up create not only a newfound level of comfort but of performance. I was floored at how improperly I was setting up my bikes before I was fit. I’m also amazed by how small an adjustment can be to make a huge difference in your fit. I am lucky to be able to go back to my fitter to make these adjustments, and others should follow suit.

I’m also kinda skeptical (or jealous?) of people who can get by based on the Competitive Cyclist fit, or by just ‘experimenting’; with their set-up. Either way though, it makes a huge difference in your performance and comfort on the bike.

…ride it.

We’re all guilty — who can blame anyone for wanting to enjoy great weather? The problems I have though, are when my safety is threatened. I was thinking the other day about how it had been a long time since I crashed (while NOT racing) or had a collision with a car or other thing. So, I was not very surprised when I took a spill into the intersection of 18th and Halsted on my way to the lakefront for a workout Friday morning. While unpleasant, it helped put things in perspective especially now that there will be many more bikes out on the roads/trails/etc. It reminded me that stuff happens and that we all need to be conscious of what we’re doing.

I have to cover a lot of ground in the city. Of course, this is because I choose to ride for transportation so often. The reason Chicago’s trail and certain bike routes are ridden so often is that they’re effective. However, this means they are crowded when warm months roll around.

While I am occasionally guilty of hopping on the trail on weekends, possibly late for something, and riding at a pretty fast rate, it’s really not practical to do this. Yet, I encounter unsafe riding all the time. There is absolutely no sense in arguing that other trail-users need to get out of the way — there’s far too many of them so it will never happen. They also have the same right as anyone to be out there. But when I’m out on the trail just trying to get home and other riders are attempting hard workouts too many dangerous variables are created. I find it’s pretty simple to remember not to take the path in a hurry during peak hours, workout in the early am on the southern sections and slow down if you end up on it having had a lapse in judgment on your route planning. It’s not worth getting hurt.

The streets also get more crowded as the temperature climbs. There are enough things cyclists have to worry about while commuting, so when other cyclists become a problem it can be very disheartening. Simple acknowledgment of other cyclists and how they’re  riding can virtually eliminate any potential conflicts.

Far too often riders I pass in the middle of a block will blow right by me while I’m stopped at a light. If a rider passed me it would seem pretty obvious that they’re traveling at a higher rate of speed. So, why must riders have to pass again, almost certainly causing the other to venture out into the flow of traffic that is much heavier having just left a stopped intersection?

Even racing, now that forecasts are much more tolerable, has become a bit more dangerous. There’s really nothing that can be done about this except to stress to the utmost racing within ones ability. Saturday was the first of several criteriums that are held in the city each summer. No doubt, with the shape of the economy and gas-prices, the race attracted many that would not otherwise take part in this style of racing. I witnessed several crashes during my race, and while again — there is really nothing that can be done to avoid crashes in races, racers can take precautions. Myself; I will probably only attend this latest race as a spectator in the future. I have no shame in that. I, like all racers, am extremely competitive but I value my safety above any potentially successful result.

So, hopefully it won’t take being in and/or witnessing a crash to raise riders consciousness this season. Riding bikes is way too much fun to have to forego it due to preventable injury. Sure, things will happen but we can all take steps to minimize the risk. Ride safe!

A recent post on the Cyclocross Magazine forum and our recent weather patterns have had me out on my ‘cross bike (in ‘commuter-form’) way more than my road bike lately. it’s the bike i ride all winter (aluminium) but by now I’ve usually switched over to my road (steel) bike. beyond the differences in the potential corrosion of the frames from moisture and rock-salt, there are alot of factors that effect a bike that’s on the road almost every day for 15-30 miles. i do highly recommend a cyclocross frame for a commuter bike, but there some things that you need to take into consideration if you’re going to race it as well.

1) drivetrain wear is imminent. you can wash your chain twice a week and brush the cogs and rings too, but all the road debris that gets stuck to the chain is going to eat the teeth faster than if you’re just training/racing. like i said, you can be diligent, but you’ll need new parts. i keep several different cassettes — usually of higher quality — in the tool box for race days. i also save my “good” chain rings for the race season. a brand new chain goes on the bike at the end of September too.

2) brakes break. especially if it is wet. this also makes dirt, etc. stick to the pads which in turn wears them down much faster than normal. again, you can clean the pads (and rims!) often but they’ll still wear down and effect stopping. it’s arguable that this doesn’t really make a difference in a race but, i mean, they’re your brakes… i replace the pad cartridges with sets of higher-quality ones for the first race too.

3) the same applies to rims. the braking surface gets all scratched up from that debris and the junky pads that stay on there. a race-only wheelset is pretty much a necessity if your using a ‘cross bike for double duty.

4) bearings, etc. the same little bits of grime that mess up all the above mentioned are going to work their way into all the bearings too. and, if your ever “power-wash” a bike after a muddy race or because you just commuted through monsoon season, you risk damaging them by stripping them of their lubricant. again, race-only wheels will help this but you’ll really have to break the bike down and clean/re-lube/re-adjust for racing after commuting. I’ve completely re-built a complex freehub, complete with loose needle bearings, that had been raced/commuted — no one wants to do that; trust me. it was also shocking to see what had accumulated in there…

So; you have to take the good with the bad. It is worth it due to the typical ‘cross bike’s versatility, etc. however, if you’re serious about racing use a diffrent bike during the season and get another pair of wheels. I’ll be gluing up these (pretty affordable tubulars) real soon.

Time’s up. If you are going to be beginning a new lifestyle as a cyclist or you are an old vet about to start working-over your ample stable of rides; do it now! Bike shops will be slammed in just a few weeks. They are already writing about it in the Tribune.

If you are spring-cleaning; take that old bike and or any parts from the bin to Working Bikes on Western Ave. It is simple, fast, painless and it’s just a good thing to do.

As far as getting a new bike (this is where I dissagree w/ the Trib); if you are looking to make a sound investment, stop in at your local shop. they will fit you to an appropriate and affordable bike. If your in the area of our offices, there’s no better shop than Amling’s on Milwaukee Ave in Niles.

Enjoy the weekend! Sprint for spring!

I was just made aware of this!

It’s definitely an impressive innovation. If it is as visible as the photo makes it out to be, at least it might make a few more drivers think. For the price, I could see it making a pretty good presence amongst commuters. (The best Planet Bike taillight is only about $20 less than the expected price.) Could be the start of something…