Let's use this thread to talk about bike technology, different products/gear, etc.

Here goes:

I'm in the market for a new chain.

What does everyone think is the best value for 10-speed shimano/sram chains?

What matters about a chain's construction that makes it durable/perform well?

JP, you want to weigh in on this?

-William

I personally have never managed to glue a tubular without creating an absolute mess on the braking surface of my wheels, but here's a link to a velonews.com video that many of you might find interesting. For one, I never heard of using glue AND tape...

http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/12/cyclocross/video-stu-thorne-shows-how-to-glue-a-cyclocross-tubular_151594

I didn't bother to watch the video, but once i used painter's tape and masked off the braking surface of my rim. The clean-up was easy. Maybe too easy.

If you layer thin and let the glue dry (actually, tacky to the point that it is ust about dry) before pulling on the tire, you should have little mess.

I followed JP's method, waiting til the glue was faintly tacky, and it worked well --except for the fact that I was concentrating so hard on getting the tires seated neatly I put the damn things on backwards.

one way to test the glue is with the hair on the back of your fingers. If your hair sticks, the glue isn't ready.

Anyone have any bad experience with alloy nipples? Some quick searching turns up a lot of people complaining about them breaking, corroding and seizing onto spokes. What's the better choice?

FYI this is for a Hed Belgium C2 clincher from wheelbuilder.com - not a super high end wheel, but I'll probably race on it.

Ryan

The difference in weight is quite significant if you care about such things. Alloy nipples are strong enough for all but the highest spoke tensions. So I'd use then in the front and NDS of the rear. The DS of the rear takes all the tension in a modern rear wheel (especially campy spaced hubs) so I prefer brass for that set.
To prevent corrosion of alloy nipples a good wheelbuilder will use lubricant when he builds (used to be linseed oil, now most likely Spokeprep). Also you should let a drop of oil run down the spoke into the nipple about once a season - nothing too onerous.

Ian hits the nail on the head. the only things I'd add to the discussion are the following. 1. When adjusting tension via the nipples, aluminum can strip on the wrench flats easier; so take greater care. 2. It has been my experience that if an object gets into the spokes, the spoke will pull out of the nipple if it's aluminum, but the spoke will stay in if brass--hard to say which is better or worse. 3. I have a five year old wheel which has aluminum nipples. It doesn't have much use, but some of the drive-side nipples cracked while riding last season, it is a 24-spoke wheel, so the tension is higher than on a box-section.

Here is something I wrote on the subject back in 2006

http://kissena.info/more.php?id=32_0_4_0_C

A few things to add:

If you're strapped for cash, I've found that Marshall's and OId Navy can be good places to find cheap baselayer tops. Marshalls can also be great for cheap winter gloves; sometimes Old Navy can be, too. ebay isn't the place it used to be. Campor usuallly has deals.

A windbreaker-style vest is a great thing for layering. If you don't have one and are looking to get a feel for how it can work, take a sheet of newspaper and stuff it under your jersey. A nylon Priority-Mail Envelope cut open can also do the job and is reusable.

many people get cold feet because their feet overheat and then soak socks and then get cold. If your feet are cold and socks soaked at the end of the ride, this is what you're probably suffering from.

putting lotion on your face will cut the sting of the wind. Sunscreen and hand lotion are thin layers. Vaseline is extreme.

Unzip while climbing longer hills; zip before descending. Some folks even take to pulling off their gloves and shoving them in their jacket on climbs.

Standing around will make just about anyone cold. Try to minimize this.

When waiting at the Jersey side of the GWB, stand across the street from where most cyclist's gather. It is better protected from the wind and is hit by the sun more than the side where most gather, and people who are late can still see you there.

I no longer believe that most of your heat escapes from your head; seems to be more of a myth than fact. That noted, a warm head is more comfortable than cold and ears can get frostbit. I cover my ears if I'm riding and it's below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

Putting some kind of electrolyte drink in your bottle will reduce the freezing temperature of your fluid. Using an insulated bottle w/ the electrolyte drink I've found results in having something to drink down to 17 degrees at least. I use the Camelbak insulated bottle and like that their valve is pretty hard to freeze.

I know a pretty good minimalist. He has DeFeet Knit gloves, liners, and heavy winter gloves. The liners are for the low 50s, the DeFeets for the high 40s to low 40s. DeFeets and liners into the high 30s. Winter gloves down into the high 20s, winter gloves and liners down from there.

A plug for our clothing sponsor. Among their incredible diversity of clothing choices are an item that few notice but can be great in winter; fleece shorts. These are great when paired with fleece leg or knee warmers and under tights. Clayton might hate me for mentioning this.

I'm sure others have plenty of good advice on the matter.

Stay warm,

JP

No hate at all! I rode in this morning with 2 Under Armour winter base layers and our thermal winter jacket under the thermal winter vest and was quite warm. Layers are everything as they trap the air circulation preventing cold getting in and your own heat getting out. Also they are flexible as you add/remove as necessary.

Now for my poor frost-bitten toes. . . (and as Mattio now knows everyone in the North has frost bite somewhere)

Clayton

Posted By: mugwumpA windbreaker-style vest is a great thing for layering. If you don't have one and are looking to get a feel for how it can work, take a sheet of newspaper and stuff it under your jersey. A nylon Priority-Mail Envelope cut open can also do the job and is reusable.

am i doing this right?

http://image.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/2334/2334,1190773137,1/stock-photo-man-wearing-paper-bag-on-his-head-to-hide-from-the-world-5637352.jpg

:thumbup::swingin::cheer:

Road, with care, aluminum fine.

Cross, brass is the only way to go. I broke 3 nipples in cross races this year.

Keith mentioned having great luck with some Vittoria CX clinchers in the winter. I've had some good experiences riding race tires, but then...one winter several years ago, I was putting off removing the race tires from my training wheels. I did a January ride with Joaquin and Neil and I think one other guy and I flatted by rockland lake. It was 25 degrees out. I told the other guys to go ahead for three minutes and come back to get me. In five minutes, I was pretty uncomfortably cold and they had cooled off as well. It's not fair to the group to stop them in the cold; they'll stop for you, but its best not to stop.

My feeling is remove the nice tires and save them for nice weather or for racing. For the winter, go for tires with belts under the tires and stronger sidewalls.

The lowest-level Ritchey Race Slick is pretty durable, with a hard, long-lasting rubber on the tread, a belt underneath the tread, and thick sidewalls. It's definitely cheap.

The most bulletproof tire I've ridden is the Specialized Armadillo. I'm on my third or fourth set in 14 years or so. I've been able to get two to three winters out of a pair, probably accounting for somewhere between 4,000-6,000 miles. I think I've gotten only one flat, and that was an industrial staple going through the casing. The problem with Armadillos is twofold. One is they're really heavy. Two is the ride quality is pretty bad, though not as bad as that first pair. I think my first set of Armadillos weighed in at about 400g a tire; specialized has, over the years, made the tires lighter. They also claim a better rubber on the tread.

A better riding tire is the Continental Gatorskin. While not as flat-proof as the Armadillo, it is still pretty long-wearing and has almost as tough a casing. Conti's people say they didn't want to compete with Specialized for hte most flat-proof tire, but instead a tire that is nearly as tough but rides much better. Conti's Grand Prix Four Season is a "performance" version of the gatorskin, with a thinner reinforced casing and Kevlar beads, and rides better than the Gatorskin.

I'm sure other people have their fave's. Myles is fond of riding tubulars year 'round.

The flip side of riding the heavy winter tires, is swapping them out in the spring. You go so much faster with the better tires.

I love Armadillo's flat protection, but agree about ride quality. Conti's 4 seasons have given me almost as few problems with flats, using as a daily commuting tire, and are infinitely easier to change, fwiw.

I have a 25 mm Grand Prix Four Season I intend to use on my rear wheel. Should I/must I/is it advisable to get one for my front tire too or is it OK/preferable to use a 23 in front? I am asking because I am getting another one for my front wheel and was wondering if it was as useful as for the rear (I've read Sheldon's page but wanted your opinion).

I am a big fan of the michelin krylion carbon as a training tire. Very flat resistant. Not the same ride quality as an expensive clincher but way better than armadillos or gatorskins.

Michael

i'm totally an armadillo evangelist

set 'em and forget 'em

i'm not sure i notice the ride quality of any tire . . . so that's not really a problem for me

Not a road training tire,but the Nokian Hakkapelitta W106 on your cross bike will get you thru several inches of snow,ice included.

I've had decent luck with the Maxxis re:fuse as a bombproof road tire but they're heavy and not so great on ride quality.

I've found Maxxis Re-Fuse to be both tough and also ride pretty well, better than Gatorskins IMO. Cheaper too. Oh ... and easier to mount than Conti's (which for some reason I always struggle with).

Stephane,
Can't imagine there's much difference. Having two different sized tires minutely changes your position relative to the bottom bracket, but hard to say if you'd notice it. Some people like a bigger tire in front to absorb the road bumps while others would go for the rear, as your weight is there. The flaw in the latter contention is that if your weight is balanced well, you've only got slightly more weight on the rear wheel than the front. But then there's the issue of the wheel being weaker because of tension imbalances in spokes.

My feeling is for the winter, go double 25. A little more air volume should reduce the likelihood of flats.

JP

Specialized Armadillo Elite tires have worked very well for me. They are a lighter version of the regular Armadillo. I can't vouch for ride quality in comparison to other tires because these are the only tires I've ridden. But for flat protection and durability, they pretty much excel in that area. They are listed at 280 grams in the 23c size on Spesh's website.

Great topic JP.

Conti GP 4000 all winter long on the fixed gear. With a good tube I almost never flat. I put on some gatorskins once and flatted twice in two days. hmm. ymmv

Armadillos: Boooooooo. Had a pair. Hated them. Not b/c of the weight or feel (harsh indeed), but the cornering is terrible. If it's the slightest bit wet, they don't grip at all. Plus the elites weren't exactly cheap. Conti 4 seasons are pretty tough and ride a little better. The Vittoria Open Pave EVO CG are sweeeeeeet. 24c and a little heavy, but super smooth and durable. Had them on for a year and a half for all training and some racing. 2 flats. Only drawback is the price. Usually list around $65, but you can generally find them somewhere for closer to $45.

Posted By: mperlbergI am a big fan of the michelin krylion carbon as a training tire. Very flat resistant.

I'll echo that. I've also been quite pleased with them as racing tires.

stephane,
youll be more than fine going 23 front- 25 rear- In fact continental makes a special tire combination they call the attack/force which they sell as a pair that is 22mm front, 24mm rear- its a little bit of a marketing gimmick if you ask me, but supposedly they tout the handling of a thicker rear, with a faster rolling resistance of the smaller front
-Leonard Klipper

Has anyone used these? They would certainly look good on my SuperSix. I would like to know if they hold bottles well, including large ones.

I have found Arundel cages to hold bottles exceptionally well. I've used Trident (which look very similar to those Blackburn) and Sideloader models for 5 years. Same cages - never lost a bottle.
Is the supersix unidirectional carbon ? if so then the arundel cages (Trident and Dave-O models) are available in a uni finish called Oil-Slick.

Ian, to answer you, I had to check the Cannondale website. Now I know that my frame is "pro-Tour proven, constructed entirely of HI-MODulus, unidirectional carbon fiber that's tuned for the most precise, efficient ride available today". I feel much better. As when I've read which types of bacteria are in my yogurt. Thanks for your advice. Coming after what I've read about those Arundel, I'm going to get a pair of Mandible cages (oil-slick of course!).

i was just looking at all of those Arundel cages last night (i'm fitting out my work-in-progress CAAD9 with new cages) but i'm very much drawn to Elite's "Custom Race" model cage. They are less than $20, 40grams each (10 more than the Arundel) and have a very good reputation for bottle retention and durability. I'm trying to build the Cannondale as light as possible within reason - i.e. i'm saving grams whenever the cost-per-gram is low. Bottle cages don't fall into the sweet spot of all this metric.

http://s.wiggle.co.uk/images/elite-customrace-cage-zoom.jpg