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von | 13. Dezember 2009 · 06:21

Almost Coastal

Having ridden a couple of times to Kamakura on the coast via Route 1 from Gotanda and not particularly enjoyed the route, I was excited to see Tom’s ride from last week – Kitakamakura Enoshima Loop.

Enoshima, always wanted to try that and Tom‚ll know a good out of the traffic route.

With Garmin Connect far easier to use these days and the ride sitting there staring me in the face, I thought, ‚I’ll download that, ride out to where we it crosses the river and start the navigation function on my Garmin 705 and simply follow it“ Easy-peasy.

Dominic in a less than sensible moment had agreed to come along too. Off we went, leaving TAC at 7am, arrived in good time at the ‚route crossing‘ point at which time I dived into the Garmin menu and started the navigation.

This worked very well for about 3 minutes until the incensed beeping started. „U-turn as soon as you can“. We did. Much to the excitement of a tuned-up Subaru driver. Found our left turn, now a right turn facing the opposite way, but all good as it counted down the metres and indicated where to go.

A short, sharp climb. Of course, it’s Tom’s route, remember. Then it dawned on me. I knew where I was. This was where Adam had introduced me to some mountain bike trails behind the golf course, near the top of the climb, back when I wouldn’t be seen dead in lycra shorts. Those were the days.

Anyway, I digress. We progressed at this point rather well indeed, many lefts and rights, and all very straightforward to follow. Of course, absolutely no idea whatsoever where we were, but we had GPS so who cared. If I’m honest, a couple of wrong turns, soon corrected, but all in all, pretty good.

Or so I thought.

We cycled past Tokaichiba station and then it went kind of awry. The Garmin wanted a left turn and common sense said straight on. Dominic suggested topping the water bottles off and then decide.

That done, we, well me really, decided to follow the Garmin. It had done an excellent job to this point so give it the benefit of the doubt.

This is Tom’s route..

This is NOT Tom’s route..

With the Garmin spending more time re-calculating (note to the manufacturer, this should be replaced with „thinking“) and then getting stuck and in need of a re-boot, then telling us to turn right, and me ignoring that every time, well we ended down on Route 16 with a dilemma.

We both needed to be back in central Tokyo by 1pm, which meant we had an hour to play with. Continue for 30 mins then U-turn and head home? Na. Go now. We headed along Route 16 until Route 1, then hammered it.

Quick tea break at Starbucks in Gotanda (Positivo approved), then home.

I didn’t achieve my goal.

I didn’t see the sea.

I did get out on the bike and had a great ride in broody, overcast conditions.

Lessons.

  • What looks like a turn to the Garmin, can in fact, be a slight bearing only off to the left or right.
  • The unit needs more RAM.
  • The unit needs a faster processor.
  • Wouldn’t hurt to look at a map once in a while.
  • Better still a map printed off with Tom’s route on it.
  • Choosing to field test this functionality in the suburbia that is Greater Tokyo wasn’t the brightest idea.

Garmin Connect – Almost coastal

I trust Tom, Michael and James are proving to be speedier up at the Xmas Enduro

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von | 12. Dezember 2009 · 14:38

P.E. Approved mask???

People wear masks on the trains, in the streets, at the bank ATM, in the grocery store, the classroom or office — making this an even more anonymous society than it otherwise might be, but I always see very few cyclists with masks.  And the ones that do wear them look very uncomfortable … I guess they want good filters to keep out exhaust and particulate, and they need a tight fit because the surgical mask won’t do much during intense exercise.

I was pleased to see in the Nikkei English version online that a solution is being offered.  This could be just what we have been looking for to use as our Positivo Espresso-approved mask.

I think it MIGHT be possible to achieve the same result (and look) by taking a certain article of women’s undergarment, folding the cups together (for double extra pollen filtering, and some face-plant padding) and jury rigging the straps:
This could be THE look for our team photo next year, especially if we want photo in our suits, before the next year’s kit arrives.  A brief excerpt from the Nikkei:
Friday, December 11, 2009
New Mask Keeps Pollen, Dust Out Of Cyclists‘ Way
OSAKA (Nikkei)–Major sports eyewear manufacturer Yamamoto Kogaku Co. will launch in March a mask that protects bicycle riders from airborne dust and pollen.
This mesh mask prevents heating around the mouth and boasts better sealing around the nose. A disposable filter, usable for a week, attaches inside. A fastener holds the mask in place, making it easy to put on or take off.
The mask comes in gray, blue and pink. It and two filters will be sold as a set for 2,625 yen, with a filter 10-pack to cost 2,100 yen.
(The Nikkei Dec. 11 morning edition)

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von | 12. Dezember 2009 · 11:28

Cycle Mode — Makuhari Messe

I enjoyed a trip out to Cycle Mode today.  In addition to a nice chance to chat with David M. and his friend and co-worker/racer Zac R. of RGT Enterprises/Assos importer, I ran into Thomas of TCC — whose face I recognized but was not sure from where.  He quickly picked me out — the guy with the sling from the P.E. blog photo.  I wish him (and everyone else) the best of luck in tomorrow’s Enduro.  Also saw Bryon, who is promoting his Computrainer business, and who eventually headed off for lunch with his father-in-law.  I started to explain to David M. that Bryon had had an accident earlier this year … but David had read about it on the blog.
I took some one-armed photos before heading back, exhausted.  I wonder if James Huang (who seems to be credited with every photo at every bike show that shows up on Cyclingnews, among other places) needs a partner?  Maybe there is not just one „James Huang“ but a David James and a Henry Huang, who formed a company, hired a bunch of photographers, and now take tens of thousands of photos a month???  In any event, click here to go to a gallery of photos — some great eye candy — De Rosa, Pinarello, Specialized, Tomassini, Mavic, of course Cervelo, etc., etc.!!!
Some of the photos require explanation so I’ll add them below in the post as well.
Juliane will be happy to know that Intermax had a good display of Lightweights … though they did not seem to draw much of a crowd.  I met a Japanese guy working there (said he was named „Mark“) who said he had worked with Juliane during the hand-over.  I also mentioned that Juliane was saying „wouldn’t it be great if Intermax led some Japanese cyclists to Transalp.“  Mark said Juliane had suggested it … and did not explain whether or why they were/were not doing it … which I took as a „not doing it“ or „not doing it yet“ response.  Too bad.
But the most interesting display of Lightweights were on this devilishly hot machine:
 :
And Reynolds now has a wheel (the RZR — name sounds like a Motorola cellphone) that they claim is the lightest in the world.  It looks to me as if they have  „borrowed“ a few ideas from Lightweight for this product, based on the shape of the spokes and the way they attach to the hub.
There were lots of „alternative“ materials for bike frames and parts.   A bamboo (though not as cool as the truly integrated bamboo frames from Boo Cycles):
 An all wood bike from a Taiwanese manufacture (the reps seemed happy to find an English speaking guest!):
Wood wheels on a Tomassini (Eco Cycle approved):
  The Delta 7 lattice framed road bike:
 
I was delighted to see the Cherubim bicycle that won „best track bike“ at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show last year, and get to talk some with one of the Cherubim frame builders.  I’ve got to stop by their shop someday.  (You can see the award plaque in the lower left corner of the first photo — though these photos do not do it justice).
I even got to try the Compex electro stimulation machine — for training your muscles without lifting a finger. (My left bicep feels stronger already). check out the gallery for more — especially those beautiful Cervelos — hard to believe they are Canadian instead of Italian.

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von | 11. Dezember 2009 · 06:39

News Flash – Kazahari to close to motorcycles

… on a temporary basis starting Dec 15 … from Tomin no Mori down to Okutamako. Too many accidents, and 5 motorcyclist deaths since 2006.

Read about it (in Japanese) here.

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von | 11. Dezember 2009 · 02:07

New mountain destination awaiting PE approval ？

Maid Cafe Popping Up In Yamanashi Mountains

KOFU, Yamanashi Pref. (Nikkei)–In the mountains to the west of Tokyo, one restaurant operator is looking to turn around falling sales by opening an establishment where customers are greeted by young waitresses dressed up as French maids.

Ristorante Syokora — a local Italian restaurant operator — expects its first „maid cafe,“ to open in Showa Town on Dec. 15, to attract gaggles of male patrons. At maid cafes, customers are customarily greeted at the entrance by a curtsy and a soothing phrase: „Welcome home, Master!“ The phenomenon took root in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, and is now spreading far and wide.
Ristorante Syokora plans to open one maid cafe per year, targeting annual sales of 100 million yen during the first three years.
The Kofu-based company will offer about 10 dishes at the cafe, with these to be taken from the menu of the Italian restaurants. While this total is only one-fourth of what is listed on the Italian menus, the cafe will also boast an original rice omelet creation, on which the maids will cheerfully write the „master’s“ name in ketchup.

(Source: The Nikkei Marketing Journal Dec. 9 edition)

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von | 9. Dezember 2009 · 03:57

Cross

„Cross“ Part I

„It’s the aspect of the sport that I’ve chosen to perfect“

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=7513047&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1

„The Thoms“ Part III

„Pain & Pleasure“ Part IV

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von | 8. Dezember 2009 · 16:59

Trailblazing five new passes into Nagano-ken

I headed out on Tuesday to explore a new route into Nagano-ken. The idea was to take as many passes yet unknown to me as possible.
It was a beautiful early morning. When the sun was rising as I hit the Tamagawa, there was still frost on the ground. The sky was crystal clear.

Discovery pass no. 1 was the small hill starting beyond Higashi-Ome station and leading into Saitama, yet without name. Shall we call it Ludwig’s belly because it is so flat?
Instead of heading straight and taking the shortest way towards Yamabushi Toge as we usually do, I went north and took Yamao Toge, discovery pass no. 2 (OK, not quite – I had done it once with MOB on a criss-cross through the area around there). At 250m, it is 130m lower than Ozawa Toge, but also amounts to a detour of a few kilometers.
Then the usual approach up Yamabushi Toge – nothing new here.
Disovery pass no. 3 was to take a southern approach from Chichibu-shi towards Ogano. Much nicer than taking route 299 or even the short-cut, but quite a bit longer and with a pass that requires some climbing.
After my first and last pit-stop for the day at the combini shuten in Ogano, I rode through the Nishi-Chichibu Natural Park with its dam up to Yakyu Toge, elevation 840m. This was discovery pass no. 4 and the first „real“ mountain pass for the day. It is my fourth pass from Saitama into Gunma, aside from Shigasaka, Tsuchisaka and Kaze passes. It is by far the nicest climb, on a small rindo-like road with no traffic and up a beautiful valley. Well, there was some traffic in the lower part – dumb trucks and other building site traffic that was repairing the road so that it would be easier to pass for other dumb trucks that would do further repairs so that more building site traffic could pass… It is sheer madness!
The descent on the other side is very steep and the road not always particularly good. It is then a long ride up a broad valley until a short climb starts to Shionozawa Tunnel. I was tempted to avoid the tunnel and do the actual pass, but adding almost 400m to the climb would have cost too much time to make it to my final destination.
Down on the other side, it was the final climb of the day (discovery pass no. 5), first through a broad valley with lovely farming houses, then up endless turns. From the border to Nagano-ken which is somewhere up on the climb it was almost 100 curves up to the top – the Saku authorities had put up signs counting every single curve (another ingenious way of wasting tax payers‘ money). As one ascends, rocky mountain tops emerge and eventually one reaches almost similar elevation to them.
Very beautiful in the setting sun.
From the moment I had entered Gunma, almost everything was frozen. It was a cold day, despite the bright sun, and the afternoon sun was not able to reach the bottom of the valley in many places. Up Taguchi Toge (1,140m) it was very cold, a few degrees below zero. My hands and feet turned into ice blocks on the way down, despite my peddling (the road is not steep at all).
I lost my way temporarily trying to take a new approach to Sakudaira shinkansen station, which cost me 10-15 minutes and meant the last few kilometers were in complete darkness.
210km in all, with 2,600m of climbing.

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von | 8. Dezember 2009 · 07:12

Positivo Espresso approved Jizo-Sama [地蔵]

At the start of One-Kan, just next to the Tamagawa bridge and Yanokuchi Station on road #9, there is the only officially approved Jizo statue which provides the necesary protection against all kind of traffic accidents and evil car and scooter drivers. Please make sure to say proper prayers when passing along as otherwise you will be drawn underground by the pinchers of hell.

Goggle Map

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von | 8. Dezember 2009 · 07:09

Tamagawa Cycling Road

Yesterday, while cycling along the Tamagawa, there was a strong headwind which made it really hard to make progress. I was not the only one who felt so, other cyclists just falled down from their bikes to rest and catch some breath.

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von | 6. Dezember 2009 · 23:36

Santa comes early

After the terrifying loss of my MOST Chall rear wheel to Route 246 last week I decided to shop around and see what was out there. First store I hit was STAGE1, which is the store I purchased the Pinarello from, although not Positivo approved I’m calling „Grandfathering“ on this one and the purchase of anything Italian should automatically be approved and encouraged by the team, along with flamboyant hand gestures, dodgy accents (Michael, Ludwig & Tom seem to have this perfected) and “Mullering” your bike for any technical issues.

Anyway back on track, STAGE1 is going to see if the wheel will be covered under the warranty as it’s only about 6 months old and to be honest a rim should last longer than that. The store believes the last pair died due to me having too much power, talk about an Ego Boost! So with that in mind I was after a “Machin Proof” set of wheels. Having looked around the store none of the wheels on display caught my fancy. (Basically the bank manager was with me and they didn’t take her fancy)

So off we went to Sagami Cycles in Mitskiyo. Now this store is great and is also run by an ex pro mechanic, although I’m not sure who or what he did in the past but he knows his stuff and after what he did to my beloved FP3 I’ll listen to anything this guy tells me.

After consulting with him he offered me two choices for my needs. A pair of 2010 Aksium SL wheels or the new Shimano 6800 Ultegra SL wheels both of which had very high “BLING” factor but came at a very reasonable price.

Now the wheels will be used for the daily commute to Tokyo as well as training rides out in to the mountains, they need to be light but stiff and able to take the punishment of hill climbing. In the end I was recommended the 2010 Ultegra SL wheel set, which although slightly more expensive were the ones I was leaning too, especially after I was told that they are also very good for racing on.

With the new wheels under each arm I headed for the cash register only to find Kaori, the bank manager and my official sponsor paying for the wheels, she turns smiles and mouths “Merry Christmas”.

Guy’s there really is a Santa!

Last night I built the wheels up with a Shimano Ultegra SL cassette, now I love my 11-23 range that offers 11-12-13-14-15-16-17-19-21-23 and its perfect for 98% of the ride to work but I found that I need more on Wada-Toge and other mountain climbs. So with this in mind I stripped down my other Ultegra cassette that offered a 12-25 gear range.

Combining the two I now run an 11-25 with 11-12-13-14-15-16-17- 19-21-23-25. Also for some of the major hill climb races I tempted to purchase the rear block consisting of 21-24-28 gears. A lot cheaper than buying a whole new cassette and allows me to mix and match the cassette as I need it.

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