yeah it's totally fine. just snap it back in and snap the little end-cap on.

Hi Guys --my lovely Veloflex clinchers with classically natural color sidewalls are stained with Tokeneke road grime... the usual dish-soap with water isn't doing the trick to remove the black and gray tint. Well, the sidewalls are a little cleaner, but they have a long way to go. If it's just repeated cleaning with rag and soapy water solution, then I will get going on that. But, if there's a better solution... I'd love to know it.

Thanks,
Norm

*** comment removed as it was one of those whispery things ***

Looking for new tubular base tape strips for some tires. Where can I get some?

interesting frame... looking forward to hearing your review of it once you get some miles in the saddle.

Tis the season, so...

I'm looking for recommendations on rain jackets. Had about 6 in the last ten years and while the typical conundrum of water-proofness vs breathability is probably still the same, I'm wanting to do better than my current. It doesn't have to be "performance" oriented. I'll probably use it mainly to commute. So a hood is fine. Any recommendations on other rain gear (leggings, booties) is also appreciated. I've just gotten completely tired of the train, even on rainy days, but also would like to not be drenched all day upon arrival.

Thanks y'all!

@ Jeff: i swear by my removable fender. Other than that I haven't found a good solution; I wear a vest to keep my core warm, and just deal with soaked shoes, head, arms, legs & crotch. Extra DZ nuts on the long rainy days to keep the boys happy.

Yeah. I've got fenders and this isn't really for training, just 30 minute-or-so commutes each way.

Thx!

@Jeff. I have a Showers Pass Pro-Tech jacket and it's awesome. It keeps showers out and is OK breathable. It is performance orientated so it's race cut and packs small. However they have a range is pretty comprehensive and maybe the Mens Touring Jacket would be a better choice for daily commuting.

www.showerspass.com

I have the Pro-Tech jacket as well. Not as breathable as some of their other jackets but it compresses real small.

I have a Gore rain jacket for cycling and it works pretty well, though the venting is along the zipper that runs the length of your chest (aka teh front zipper). Nicely, it has a butt panel that folds down. I recently got a Showers Pass Elite 2.0 jacket. the material is stretchier than the Gore jacket, but also cut for cycling.

If you're looking for something that won't look like cycling gear,just find a waterproof hiking jacket made of some waterproof/breathable material. Get one with pit zippers so you can vent a bit.

The showers pass elite 2.0 uses the eVent fabric. I have the discontinued Cutter jacket that is made of the same stuff, as well as a showers pass hood and DHB wickham pants from wiggle. And seal skinz waterproof socks. eVent does what it claims. You dont need pit zips with it. Can be pricey tho.

Agreed that the Pro Tech is not super breathable, but I was able to wear mine for 3.5 hours during all of 110Km Gran Fondo without overheating. It was one of those days that was so wet that my bike required a rebuild and re-grease of the complete drivetrain, bottom bracket and a pedal ! (however the seals on Dura Ace hubs must be awesome because they remained fine). Also a day where the socks get thrown straight in the trash and one is left wondering "how did all that grit get into my ass".
However, I digress.

@JP, how do you like Elite jacket ?

I'm still trying to build up a cross bike in time for the season. Can anyone break down the pedal situation and/or the brakes on the crossbar lowdown?

Crank Bros? Good or bad?
Shimano - WTF? (XT, XTR, PD, !(@!*%&^)
Speedplays (I'm a big fan of them on the road)

Thanks,

J

Ian,
haven't worn it enough to form an opinion. Like the stretchiness. Need to have it out on a three-hour ride in 45-degree rain to decide.

JP

I like spd pedals a great deal.
Brakes tektro from jensonusa $20 per pair. Excellent.

Jules,

Brake levers on the tops of the bars are kinda pointless in cross. You never need to move your hands too much in cross, races are not long enough to require you to move off the hoods, or out of the drops (if you're JP).

I love my Crankbrothers Eggbeaters, they're awesome, and easy to step into. You don't think, you just stomp (which I consider a good thing in a cross race). I've yet to see anybody using speedplay frogs, so I can't imagine anybody has formed an opinion about them. Many people swear by Time ATAC pedals, and others believe that SPD is the only way to go. I'll let others describe the virtues of those. I would say, stay away from the cheapest versions of the SPDs or SPD knockoffs (which I've used before), so it kind of requires a greater $$$ outlay than the eggbeaters which don't really have much difference between top and bottom of the line (except weight, but who wants a titanium pedal spindle?).

The brake levers on the tops kind of make sense once in a long, long, long while. Basically, if there's a long, steep, loose downhill where you need to put your weight way, way, way back, having the brakes on the tops allow you to get your butt further back on the way down while you control your speed by riding the front brake. Otherwise, the narrow position of your hands on the tops is less than ideal for steering or controlling your bike on rough. The times you'll be on the tops will most likely be when you're going slowly in a straight line and you will just reduce pedal pressure to slow down.

Yes to the drops. The human wrist is generally in a more flexible position on the drops than it is on the hoods, so it's easier to move body and bike while on drops.

Yes to Crank Brothers. I understand the whole "narrow platform" argument against them, but they are the best mud-shedding pedals available and you can enter the retention system toe first or heel first, a plus. It's been so long that I've ridden Time and Shimano and I now use carbon-soled shoes that I can't comment on whether the smaller surface area is a problem in terms of losing pedaling effiency.

So I've been in Belgium for almost two weeks now. Going to be here until January... of course, I brought my bike. However, this morning on what was to be a nice ride my SRAM Rival (2010, I think) right shifter just fell out. I don't know how else to explain it. Can I repair this myself, should I take it to a shop (not great with the languages, but I figure pointing to the hanging shifter will be understandable), or am I just gonna have to get a new shifter?

Anybody know how SRAM works with warranties? (Or if it's worth doing it overseas?) It was purchased summer 2010.

Konrad,
First, I am consumed with the burning fire of a thousand suns of jealousy.
<takes a moment to compose himself>
I think the entertainment value of taking it to a shop and doing the pointing-sign-language thing far outweighs the potential save by trying to ship it somewhere... be sure to take notes so that you can re-enact the discussion for us all when you get back.

Konrad,
First, Belgium. Sweet. Where?

Food is great, people are nice, riding is in their blood. Better for us anglophones is that English is an extremely popular third language there. I can't vouch for Wallonia, but in Flanders, it seemed just about everyone between 18 and 50 was fluent in English. I'm friendly with a Scot who works at Ridley and she initially had a tough time learning Flemish (or Dutch) because everyone would address her in English after she addressed them in the local tongue.

Shops that cater to racers are definitely around--I stumbled into them in Brugge, Zottegem,and Ghent, so you just have to look (and you should try racing, all you need is the Belgian racing calendar and a permission letter from usa cycling--which is auto-generated from your "my usacycling" page). Racing there is cheap, like a few Euro. You owe it to yourself to go and get your ass kicked. You'll learn how to race, but you'll first have to hang on.

SRAM surely has a European distributor. Find it on the SRAM website. Contact them. They might even be able to

I've never taken apart a SRAM shifter, but I'm guessing that if the shifting mechanism works (as in it can click), there probably was a center bolt that fell out. In order to replace it, you'd need to have the bolt and also take off the brake blade. Poke around on youtube and the sram site and the web and you can probably find instructions. If you can't find them, look around for instructions and videos on how to take apart a Campagnolo ergopower lever. It looks like the same kind of pin that holds the campy brake lever blade to the body hold the SRAM lever blade. If it is, you'll need a block of wood with a small hole drilled out, a punch and a mallet.

My understanding of SRAM doubletap shifters is that the internals pretty much exactly the same across Rival, Force, and Red. and all you need to do is drop it in and pull it out and have something to secure it.

Belgian food....mmmm, don't forget some of the highlights including:

perziken met tonijn, canned peaches stuffed with tuna salad
Paling in 't groen, eels in "green" sauce
and don't forget the paardenvlees, Horse steak, or even horse tartar. Actually this is pretty good, leaner than beef and sweeter. Great for protein for cyclists, lots of iron. You just have to not think of Secretariat as you tuck into this.

Sorry, I've got nothing to add about fixing your shifters.

konrad:

i've had that happen to two of my Rival shifters; something in the internals snaps and the paddles falls out or stops working.

from what i've heard, Rival tends to do this and SRAM has been very good about promptly sending me replacements, although in my experience, they have required that a bike shop handle this (i.e. they won't send one to me at home).

Thanks all. Currently, I'm in Hoeilaart, a small town just outside of Brussels. It makes for nice riding (and I got to go see the Druivenkoers - Overijse race which was pretty fantastic), but I'll hopefully soon be relocating to Brussels for school and the nightlife. Just gotta find a reliable route out of the city and back into the countryside and I will be set. I would love to race out here. If my school schedule is permitting me to ride as much as I hope it is, and I get this sorted out soon enough, I will definitely sign up to get my ass kicked a bit.

I'm going to chug on over to the local shop, I suppose, and see what they can do as far as warrantying this shifter... However, like Will said, I was told that Rival is known for this and told to take it as a sign to move up to Force. Eh, I think I'll save the money for beer!

Another pedal power meter...

http://www.jamcollective.net/press/keo-power

I realize that this is a highly subjective topic and that my riding (distance) is not going to have the same requirements as yunzes (my dad was from Pittsburgh), but I think I need to change my saddle. Back when I still had thoughts of getting back into racing, I bought that super-thin, super-light, carbon Specialized saddle (too lazy to go to basement to read the model name--I think it's 7-8 years old).

Now I am starting to wonder if it's just too small/hard a platform for riding all day or for just tooling around. I'm thinking comfort over extracting every last ounce of weight.

Any thoughts/comments/suggestions?

(Alas, it's too close to Braking the Cycle to make such a major change, so I will have to suffer during that.)

Thanks

Matt

As you mention, bicycle saddles are a very personal topic. You may even get kore heated discussion than you would in a Mac vs. PC debate (yes, those still exist).

Anyway, my 2 cents: I am a fan of fizik saddles. I use the Arione because it is a long saddle that enables you to get comfortable in several positions allowing you to releive pressure from your sit bones during a long ride. don't get the arione CX as they reduced the padding and and it is less comfortable on long rides. If you like the shape (the "wing flex" feature makes it less likely that your thighs will rub against the saddle) and want more cushion, the triatholon version (arione tri 2) could keep your nether regions happy all day.

I should add that before I started racing I was using a fizik aliente. I know a lot of people who have used it and found it super comfortable. I liked it as well.

I suggest you buy or borrow a used saddle or two and try them out until you find one, that as Goldillocks would say, is "just right."

Patrick

Hey

Anybody have the SKS race blade fenders? I have the full coverage eyelet ones for my cx bike but was wanting to get some of the race ones. But I was reading how there are 2 different widths tho, and was wondering if you could squeeze 25mm tires into the 18-23 ones (Nashbar has a sale) or if you really need the 25-32 ones.

Thanks!

I have a set but I only use the back one. I haven't tried with wider tires; not sure it would end well, as it always feels like my 23's are a tight fit.

Also, important to use tape on the parts of the frame where they mount; else scratches

Second the tape. I use electrical, since I stupidly threw away the stickers that came with the fenders. I think you could fit 25s under my race blades, but there would be some fussing out on the road and most likely a bit of rubbing, even if it's only an annoyance.

It's a sad discussion. Too warm still to be talking about this.