there is no "I" in cyclyng

von bikesnob28hb | 15. Dezember 2009 · 05:27

History of the Bicycle

„The bicycle was named after its inventor, Robert Bicycle, a Dutch man who, dissatisfied with having to walk to the cheese shop, created the first two wheeled human-powered vehicle in 1972. Due to the non-existent petroleum requirements that the bicycle presented, its use quickly become popular with social workers and crystal healers and within just a few years, the smell of patchouli oil became inescapable even within the comfort of one’s car on the freeway. Although primarily regarded as a woman’s hobby, bicycle riding has since gained popularity not only amongst the homosexual male community but also people who enjoy wearing Spandex® of all persuasions.“

I didn’t know that.

There’s more…

„I am often asked why my Spandex® bicycle riding costume features eight hundred and thirty corporate sponsorship logos even though I do not actually have a sponsor. The reason for this is simple. For every thirty male bicycle riders there is one female bicycle rider and, as in nature where the most adorned peacock gets the peahen, the male bicycle rider with the most brightly coloured Spandex® and most corporate sponsorship logos gets to mate with her.“

Do you want a dinky to the shop? – www.27bslash6.com

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von bikesnob28hb | 14. Dezember 2009 · 06:09

Cycle Mode 2009 Impressions

International press at the Cycle Mode 2009. F.l.t.r : James M., Woshington Past, Dominic H., Bloody White Press, David M., Michael K., Bradford Hill Climb Observer

Much as been said and written about the Cycle Mode 2009 already and there is very little to add. Except of course for a few photos from my personal angle. This year I looked in particular for two things, cycle cross bikes and cycle cross tyres. I found many other things.

A dummy display raped by a group of local distributors.

Ceeco time trial bike, customized for a rightwing emeror worshipping pro team.A possible alternative to the Selle SMP saddle, seen at the Cherubim booth.The cross bike of Pina Bausch.
The proper usage of orange color schemes on bikes.Cycling wear : The famous cycling jacket by Rapha. Of course they didn’t got the orange color right at the collar and the sleeves.Cycling underwear : As shown by James breaking all records on the SKINS trainer.

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von bikesnob28hb | 14. Dezember 2009 · 05:05

Tokyo Enduro Race Report

A team I may consider to join.

I woke up at 6.30 hr in the morning after having dreamt that my connection flight from the island of Huahua to Seoul has been canceled forever. These are the times of dreams I normally have before a day at the races.

However, for the credit of this trace I have to say that the weather was much better than for the same race one year earlier. One year earlier I decided to stay in bed after looking out of the window. This year there was no excuse. As this is one of the only four races I can actually ride to from my home (the other ones being Yokohama Stadium Endurance, Tour du Japan Tokyo Stage in Oifuto and Fuji Hill Climb), I couldn’t possibly miss it.

For some reason, the Tokyo Enduro is a jinxed race for me. The first bicycle race I ever attended, not as a racer but as a spectator, was hold in October 1990 on precisely that track in Tachikawa. I came to watch my former youth idol Joern Kinzel, inventor of the famous Kinzel K1. Since that it has always been my dream to race there, I applied in 2005 to attend the possibly first Tokyo Enduro, only to find myself unable to attend because of a very bad ear infection. In 2006 I missed the deadline for application. In 2007 I don’t recall what has hindered me to attend, but something did. And last year I registered but decided not to ride because of the weather.

So all propped up and riding against a strong headwind I made my way up to Tachikawa. There were many riders out at the Tamagawa, most of the probably heading in the same direction and it was hard to restrict myself not become to competitive as I wanted to keep some power for the race. I arrived and met Tom just by chance at the gate. James and his family got already in and set up a place and a tent at a very convenient place to the pit stop. The TCC riders were also coming in and we had a few chats but just as we, everybody was nervous and in a hurry to get ready for the race. The Catteni Positivo guys also came and set up their tent just next to our one. The first part of our strategy went very well.

That is, that James, our first rider went to the startline early and got into the top 50 or 100 rider group so that he could hang out with the fast guys as long as possible. He did just that for the first seven laps and when he made the last of his laps he sprinted ahead of the group, entered the pit and changed to Tom so that he could also enjoy being part of the fast group. After four more laps Tom changed to me and when I came out of the pit there was no fast group to hang on to. This is really the key to win the race, if you are alone on the track, there is no way that you can go fast for a longer period of time. So I did my four laps all on my own, killed some wheelsuckers and passed to Kaori who did her part and passed to James again.

The president of Corratec, shooting at random riders who don’t use his bikes.

After a while I went to check the results at the monitors and saw that all of the TCC teams were doing very well and that we were in 9th position in the mixed class. We were way faster than our original plan which was based on the idea that we should be faster than the winner last year.

Well, as I mentioned already for the Motegi race: Racing has not become easier and the competition is becoming stronger year by year. We are not racing against an ever faster competition but also against age and our chances to win are very slim indeed now. For example the mixed team from Catteni Positivo, that made 2nd place last year came in 11th this year, full two laps behind us.

James made a very good run that and put us back into podium reach, by the end of his tour we were in fifth place and 2 minutes away from the third placed team. Tom made further time good and passed the baton to me with about 40 minutes to go. As the pit closes 15 minutes before the end of the race we decided that I would do three laps and then pass to James for the last two ones. Again I was alone on the track but after a while I found one guy one could keep up me and we were pulling each other until we were overtaken by a fast group of five riders to which I could hang on.

Later after moving into the pit and checking the results I realized that one rider in this group was the 4th placed mixed team. I should have stayed out with the fast group and ride to the end as I was also feeling good enough to stay with them, but I decided to stick to the plan and handed over to James. This cost as not only one minute time because of the pit stop but James was now alone on the track again which cost further time. I moved out as well, waited until James finished his first lap and then drafted him 2 km or so before I ran out of gas again.

In the end we made respectable 5th place in the mixed cat, but I am sure that we could have made podium if we would have had better race infos and reduced our number of pit stops.

I guess this is the lesson from the race:

1. We need to get wired.
2. Four riders = three pit stops

Anyway, we had a very good time. Tom’s wife also provided us with some nice Belgium waffles which fueled us up through the race. Nichibe-san also showed up to support us. TCC had a very strong showing. I helped James to pack the tent and transport all the stuff to his car, then I went on to the next race which consisted of a 35 km ride back home which I had to make by 5 PM as my wife wanted to go out and I had to take care of the kids. I finished 5 minutes behind the deadline.

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Eingeordnet unter 2009, Cervelo Soloist, James, Mob, Nishibe, tcc, Tom

von bikesnob28hb | 13. Dezember 2009 · 10:25

TOKYO ENDURO RACE RESULTS

MEN

Winner 33 laps 3.56.38 hr
4. TCC A (Thomas, Sergey, DeeJ, AlanW) 33laps 3.58.03
22 NFCC 30 laps
36 Catteni Positivo Torino 29 laps
41 TCC C 29 laps (David, YellowGiant,…)
45 Catteni Positivo Trevis 29 laps
70 Catteni Positivo Napoli 28 laps

WOMEN

Winner 28 laps 3.55.02 hr
2. TCC G 28 laps 3.59.38 hr

MIXED

Winner 32 laps 3.53.41 hr
5 TCC A PE (Tom, James, Kaori, mob) 31 laps 3.57.39 (=15th place in men cat)
11 Catteni Positivo Milano 29 laps

More to come. First a bath and some food.

All results are here:

SUNDAY

SATURDAY

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Eingeordnet unter 2009, Cervelo Soloist, James, Mob, tcc, Tom

von bikesnob28hb | 13. Dezember 2009 · 10:04

Night Cycling, Central Tokyo – The Ride

Some of my younger colleagues are taking this bicycle commuting into the office, well, into the office. I’m told it is forbidden by the producer/director/actors to watch this without speakers on, since the music is integral to their art.

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von bikesnob28hb | 13. Dezember 2009 · 08:26

Ice skating and Chris Horner interviewed, for your viewing pleasure.

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von bikesnob28hb | 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 bikesnob28hb | 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 bikesnob28hb | 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).