Birth of a handmade cyclocross bike

"Didn't you just get a new 'cross bike?"
"Isn't the 'cross season over?"
"How many 'cross races did you actually do this year?"

Yes, yes, and two. So why am I getting a new bike? Well, when an award-winning builder offers a sweetheart price on a custom bike that's going to be shown at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show, I'm not the sort of fella to say "meh". Besides, I ride my 'cross bike a lot, especially in the spring when the roads are too messy for the road bike (unlike Katy). And I'm just a sucker for a pretty bike.

My new bike is being built by Drew Guldalian, owner of Engin Cycles. Drew's 29er hardtail, which featured a prototype set of Hayes Stroker Gram brakes, won "Best Mountain Bike" at this year's NAHBS. He posts a web gallery of every frameset he builds. Here's the first picture of mine.
It may not look much like a bike right now, but if the final product ends up looking something like the bike Drew built for himself, I'll be a very satisfied customer.

Vote on round two of proposed Manitou fork graphics

Thanks to everyone who voted in round one. Please click here to see the updated designs and chose your favorite.

Help choose graphics for future Manitou forks

Want a sneak peek at future Manitou fork graphics? Want to help with their creation? Click here and tell me what you think of the prospective designs.

What do you want to know?

I asked a similar question on the Hayes Bicycle Group blog and got some interesting suggestions. So, Racerveza readers, any suggestions for future posts? Just click here or on the "comments" link below and ask away. Could be bike-related, could be work-related, could be Milwaukee-related, whatever.

More on winter training

Holy smokes. Thanks to Tom Held's mention on his Off the Couch blog, my last post got ten times the usual number of views. I promised a follow-up, so here goes.

Let's start with a little humor. Craft is a manufacturer of some of the nicest cycling apparel money can buy. I especially like their cold-weather base layers. World Cycling Productions is a Minnesota-based company that sells high-end cycling apparel and accessories. They also have a somewhat unique part numbering system with the potential for some awkward results. You may have to enlarge the image in order to appreciate its full hilarity.

So, back to the subject of winter riding. One aspect I haven't really figured out yet is tires. Cycleicious recently did a post about studded tires. I've never had a set, but they sound like they could open up some riding opportunities when the roads are covered in snow and ice. Here in Milwaukee, the main roads get plowed first, followed by the side streets (where we're more likely to ride). As a result, car traffic often packs the snow down before the plows get a chance to remove it. That ice is pretty much un-ridable with standard tires. If studded tires are as effective as they sound, that would be an awesome triumph of bike technology over winter weather. Alternatively, one of my intrepid coworkers choses to put big, fat downhill tires on his mountain bike. He claims that the big footprint and aggressive lugs allow him to ride pretty much anything offroad. So depending on where you like to ride, studded tires or big, fat knobbies might be the key to more outdoor miles in the winter.

A few other equipment notes:

• Changing a flat is never fun, but it can be impossible in the cold. Do whatever you can to prevent flats. Wider, knobbier, heavy duty tires and puncture-resistant tubes add weight, but it's a price worth paying. Tubeless tires might be another solution, but I'm not sure how well their sealant performs in sub-freezing conditions.
  
• Road slush has quite an affinity for chains and cables. As it accumulates, shifting performance deteriorates (or disappears) and drivetrain resistance increases. A singlespeed bike is less vulnerable to these effects.
• Similarly, road slush can render rim brakes almost inoperative. Disc brakes, on the other hand, are pretty impervious.
• Fenders are a key ingredient to pleasant winter riding. They keep your body relatively clean and dry, and they protect your bike from salty, corrosive slush. Full-coverage fenders should be an absolute requirement on winter group rides.
  

A lot of cyclists I know choose to cross-country ski in the winter. Personally, I prefer snowshoeing. The equipment is cheaper, there's far less maintenance, they don't require groomed trails, there's almost no learning curve, and the motion (especially in deep snow) is more like pedalling. Both sports offer a great workout and a welcome change of pace from riding. They're a great alternative to the indoor trainer on days when it's just not possible to ride outside.

Winter Riding

I've read a number of great articles lately on the subject of winter riding. All have been helpful and inspiring. Here's a bit of what I've learned over the course of ten or so Wisconsin winters.

Grow some hair. A beard is nature's balaclava. Granted, most people are unable to grow one due to gender, age, or spousal disapproval. Let me tell you, though, a week or two of growth goes a long way towards keeping your cheeks and chin warm. Leg hair can be a big help, too, creating an insulating layer of warm air between your skin and your tights. Again, social mores and marital harmony may rule this out.

Get a hardshell jacket. For years, I piled on layers of undershirts and jerseys as the temperature dropped. I stayed reasonably warm, but felt a bit sausage-like under the compression of all those layers. This year, I bought a waterproof, windproof jacket (the Showers Pass Elite 2.0). Unlike a winter jersey, it has Velcro cuffs, pit zips, a vented back, and an elastic drawcord in the collar. As a result, I'm able to make mid-ride adjustments so that I'm never too cold or too hot. I can ride comfortably at temperatures between 20 to 40 degrees Farenheit with just my jacket, a short-sleeve jersey, and a long-sleeve base layer.

Don't sacrifice circulation for insulation. As I mentioned above, I used to over-swaddle myself for winter rides. I've since learned that looser is warmer. Loose clothes allow warm, dry air to circulate against your skin, keeping you from getting cold and clammy. This applies to upper-body and lower-body layers, and especially to hands and feet.

Get some good lights. Around here, what little daylight we get during the winter is often lessened by clouds. A good set of blinky lights will make you more visible during the day, and a good set of rechargable lights will enable you to ride all night long (if that's your kind of thing). I'm a big fan of DiNotte's LED light systems. I have a 600L on my handlebar, a 200L on my helmet, and a 140R taillight.

Build a great indoor setup. I bet you thought this was some tough-guy article about riding outdoors all year long. Well, riding outside is usually better than riding inside, but not when death by snowplow is a possibility. The secret to endurable indoor riding is a good setup. For that, I recommend a fan, a big TV, lots of race videos and action movies, and a power meter (to keep you honest). Company can also be a big help. My wife's treadmill is right next to my rollers. Instead of watching TV or a movie from the couch, we'll head down to the basement and spend our tube time working out. It's surprising how quickly a two-hour indoor ride can go by with the right distractions and a minimum of fuss.

Down with cyclists!

I serve on the Milwaukee Bicycle Steering Committee (love that name) as a representative of the bicycle industry. In our meeting last week, an interesting conversation broke out with regard to people's perceptions of cyclists. Initially, I proposed that we should regard anyone on a bike as a "cyclist" regardless of the clothing they wear or the type and value of their bike. However, after some discussion, I changed my position. In the interest of getting more people on bikes, I think it might be better to do away with the whole "cyclist" designation. To me, a "cyclist" is someone for whom riding a bike is a lifestyle - a part of their identity. Other people may occasionally ride, but under that definition, they're not "cyclists".

Here's the problem. This distinction creates an in-or-out situation. Those who are "in" look for ways to distinguish themselves from those who are "out", employing all the usual techniques we remember from high school - clothes, language, rules, etc. That creates barriers for those who are out. They'll feel like they have to have the right bike and the right clothes in order to gain acceptance. Becoming a cyclist will require effort and investment to do correctly. Consequently, they're likely not to bother.

Look at it this way. We don't consciously regard some people as "drivers" and other people as "non-drivers". Those of us who do drive don't make an effort to identify ourselves as drivers. We simply interact with each other knowing that most people drive cars. It's no big deal. It's just a part of life.

That's how it should be with bikes. Just about anyone can ride a bike, most people own a bike, and everyone who does ride could ride more. By removing barriers and distinctions, we would make it easier for people to just hop on and ride. Who knows where they'll go from there?