Sometimes, Its About the Bike

Outside of actually riding a bike, there are a few other awesome things about cycling - (1) getting a new bike, (2) talking about cycling (while enjoying a few beers) and (3) giving your bike a major upgrade.  Well, our fellow CF cyclist Dave Holbrook, provided the opportunity to do two of those three things.  Dave decided to upgrade the groupset on his bike from a triple crank with a 9 speed cassette to a current state Shimano 105 5800 series 11 speed with a compact crank and a 11x32 cassette.

Shimano 105 11 Speed Groupset

This upgrade will give Dave a nice climbing update with the new 34x32 versus the former 34x27 gearing combination. 

Dave, being the generous fellow he is, also allowed some of his friends to help with the upgrade and last night we were able to get the bike upgraded.  We also included a good nutrition and hydration plan to ensure we wouldn't bonk during the upgrade.

Eric removing the aero bars

Overall, the upgrade went well.

The first task was to remove the aerobars and the bar tape.  Eric jumped on this and we soon had the shifters exposed.

Installing the Bottom Bracket

While Eric tackled the aero bars and bar tape, Dave worked on removing the old bottom bracket. He then installed the new 34/50 double compact crank; replacing the old triple crank.

Sean had the job to remove the Speed Play pedals off the old cranks. As we all know, removing pedals can be a challenge. Fortunately, Sean (with a little help from his friends) was able to remove the pedals from the old crank arms.  After a little cleaning, the pedals were installed on the new crank arms.

Installing the Cables

Next we mounted the brakes so we could start working on the the shifters and cables.  We marked the position of the original shifters and then removed them.  This let us put the new shifters in the same position as the old ones.  From there, Eric and I got the new shifters installed, sized the brake and gear cable housings and routed the cables. Dave was carefully watching to ensure we didn't switch his braking levers to opposite sides.  In the meantime, Dave mounted the rear derailleur to the derailleur hanger.

Eric and Dave removed the old cassette and installed the new 11x32 11 speed cassette.  We then installed the wheels and connected the brake cables to the brakes.  The brake pad alignment and adjustments went smoothly and we adjusted the brake pull "feel" to Dave's preference.

New Compact Crank Installed

Eric and I then installed the chain. Eric and I had a nice debate on which link to brake to shorten the link to the proper overall length (Eric was right).  We used a KMC 11 Speed Missing Link to connect the chain.

We then connected the rear derailleur cable and started the adjustment process.  First, we set the high limit and then the low limit.  The B screw also needed a tweak to get the proper spacing to the cassette.  After a few minutes we had it dialed in nicely.

Unfortunately, the front Derailleur is a band type clamp and we didn't have the correct size so we couldn't finish the installation.

Dave and Eric Installing the New Groupset

Even without the front Derailleur, Dave took a test ride and reported everything was great.  He even "climbed" the driveway in the 32 tooth gear.

Dave and I then finished the bike off with new handlebar tape.  Dave also installed these cool bar plugs that have LEDs for night riding.

Ready For The Chain 

This was a fun night and I think Dave was happy with his upgrade.  We are all looking forward to seeing how the new bike rides when Dave takes it up Beatty Hill.

Congratulations on the upgrade!

Removing The Old Cassete

Eric Adjusting the Rear Deraileur Cable

Waiting for the Left Pedal from Sean

    

The Supervisors - OZ, Sean and Chris

The Wrenches - Dave, Eric and Jim

Dave With His Upgrade

Paceline Skills

Today was one of those days where the weather is giving you a perfectly reasonable excuse to stay inside and relax while your fitness conscience is saying HTFU.  Unfortunately, when you are a ride leader and you post a ride, your choice is much more limited.

Joel and I had posted a Gruppetto Graduate ride going up to Newcastle and targeting climbs on Callison and Indian Hill roads. The intent is to allow riders who recently completed the Gruppetto training series to transition into Peloton group rides. These rides also allow riders looking for a more casual pace to join.

Another purpose of these rides is to help newer riders practice group riding skills and offer constructive feedback to improve these skills.

Today's ride finished with a long jaunt down AF.  This is a great road for working in a paceline.  At a stop light, Joel took the opportunity to talk to a rider and pointed out one of the more subtle skills in group riding that can make a big difference in a paceline's dynamics - soft pedaling.

When you are in a paceline, I find that it is important to keep your head up and pay attention to your surroundings.  I tend to "look through" the rider in front of me instead of locking my focus on his rear wheel.  However, when that rider stops pedaling, my attention will shift immediately to that rider. A lack of pedaling is like a caution light that alerts you that something is wrong and braking may soon follow.


If you are a rider that tends to pedal - stop - pedal - stop, you are likely sending confusing messages to the rider behind you: go - caution - go - caution.  This can be disconcerting.

Rather than stop your pedaling when you need to slow down, there are a couple of techniques to use.  One is to soft pedal.  Soft pedaling simply means you are pedaling slowly without adding any power to the drive train.  The rider behind you will see your pedaling being constant and stay more relaxed.

Another technique is to catch more air by sitting up taller or moving to the side slightly to get partially out of the draft of the person ahead of you.

The important point is to control your speed AND do so in a deliberate fashion that keeps the paceline in a calm state.  So, think about the value in soft pedaling to "communicate" to the rider behind you.  She/he will appreciate it.

Want to learn more about paceline skills?  Check out some of the instructional videos at cyclefolsom.com.

By the way, if you want some CF gear like the shirt shown above, you can buy it here.

Cycle Folsom Blog Revival

While doing a “Rescue Me” ride, I happened upon Jason Rogers and we started chatting about the great changes to the cyclefosom.com website and some of the challenges faced in making those updates.  During this conversation we talked about adding a CF blog and how it could be used for a variety of reasons.  Shortly after the ride, I contacted Stan about the idea and he revealed CF already had a blog, but it had not been updated in a couple of years.  He also thought it would be great if we were to provide new content for the blog.

Originally, I thought about using the blog as a way for ride leaders to constructively identify opportunities for improving group riding skills and address safety concerns.  In this way, readers would have a resource that could be used to openly discuss ideas and gain valuable insight into why safety is such a key factor for CF rides.  However; after spending some time looking at the original CF blog posts, I started revising my initial ideas.  These early posts were really well done and I thought the themes of “shared suffering”, camaraderie and fun on the bike should be continued.  They embody all the positive things I experience when I go on a ride.

What I would like to propose is we use the CF blog for four primary topics (1) safety, (2) ride remembrances, (3) member experiences and (4) technology.  I would like to try and line up blog posts in advance from volunteers; asking them to write about one of these topics.  Depending upon how active members are, I would hope to get 2 to 4 blogs per month and a lot of activity in the comments area.

Safety – The primary authors would be the ride leaders.  Either general or specific observations could be identified to improve group riding safety.  For example, a current “pet peeve” of mine is not singling up when cars are trying to pass.  Even when the rear-most riders call “ car back”, I constantly see riders remain doubled/tripled up and causing havoc for cars trying to responsibly share the road.  I am fine with people doubling up to chat while using quiet roads if they go back into single file when cars are coming.  While supporting a TftT ride this year as SAG, I ran into a group of 20+ cyclists (not CF) on the Garden Hwy that had taken over the entire lane and half of the oncoming lane.  They refused to allow me to pass.  I had to be a complete jerk and keep my horn down just to get them to clear the opposite lane.  I can see why some drivers cannot stand cyclists when they take over the roads.  Specifically, I believe this causes unsafe conditions when impatient cars are not able to easily pass and can endanger cyclists and motorists by taking unnecessary risks when passing – such as blind corners.

Ride Remembrances - Like the original posts in this blog, stories about a specific ride or event would capture the “essence” of the ride.  In 2014, I was following the comments on the TftT series and I was impressed by the camaraderie developing as the rides progressed.  This inspired me to want to want to do the series the following year, invigorate my focus to ride consistently and register for the Death Ride.  In addition, I could foresee the inclusion of video snippets such as the one Stan did for the 2014 Death Ride.

Member Experiences – All of us would like to hear success stories from various riders about key accomplishments in their cycling endeavors.  This could be finishing 5 passes of the Death Ride, doing the Davis Double Century, losing weight, overcoming a health issue or any number of similar things.  One of the great things about CF is the encouragement people offer to help you attain your goals.  If you put the effort in, your fellow CF riders will notice and offer help and advice so you can reach your goals.  As I was doing the TftT series in 2015 for the Death Ride, I received constant support and encouragement.  If not for CF, I would never even have attempted the ride let alone finish all 5 passes.

Technology – We have all heard the joke – “How do you make a small fortune in cycling?  Start with a large one”.  Beyond N+1, this section could be a lot of fun and offer some constructive advice on equipment and gadgets.  How do you configure a Garmin Edge 520?  Are aerodynamic spokes worth it?  Should I get a 32 tooth cassette for climbing?  My derailleur is not shifting smoothly, how do I fix it?  Should I clean my drive train?  What are the best tires to prevent flats?  What lights should I get for night rides?  The list of questions is endless.  Fortunately, there is a lot of knowledge and experience in CF that could be helpful to those looking for help.

Cycle Folsom has a lot to offer fellow cyclists.  This blog could be an additional means to get newer members engaged, help people exchange information and enable everyone to share their passion of cycling.

What things would you like to know or what would you like to share?  Please add you comments.

The resurection of a club blog.

Cycle Folsom has been around for nearly a decade now. Being an all volunteer organization, the club's activities, interests, service levels and member involvement go through what I consider to be normal ebbs and flows. As new members come in, they bring new talents, interests, and enthusiasm. And then things change. Those same members move on to new interests, or technology changes, or something forces change. For better or worse.

Such is the case for the Cycle Folsom Club Blog. I initially launched the blog back in 2011 because the Cycle Folsom web site was not equipped to handle regular updates from multiple contributors. The blog worked well for a while and had many subscribers. But then the club made a big change. It moved its event calendar and social exchange activities to the Meetup platform. Meetup was new, it was cool, and members were having a blast exchanging comments on the site. As a result, interest in our blog wained, and it got left behind.

Fast forward 5 years. The club has grown tremendously, and Meetup still does a great job handling group comments and our calendar. But it doesn't allow our leaders and members to post more in-depth ruminations about their cycling experiences, inspiration, tips or techniques.

Recently, Jim Ramseier and Jason Rogers inquired about starting a blog. They were pleasantly surprised when I gave them a link to our long forgotten, but still not dead blog of the past.

So I went ahead and dusted it off, added a new theme, and have prepped it for new authors who may emerge. Jim Ramseier has some plans in mind, and I look forward to supporting him to resurect the blog and start the flow of new content for your reading enjoyment.

I've left all the posts from the past. It's kind of fun to see the motley crew from the early days—back before we looked stylish in our Cycle Folsom apparel.

Enjoy!

Spring South Canal Time Trial

A great group of Cycle Folsom newbies and old dogs showed up to challenge themselves on the 10 mile South Canal TT course. The Spring Cycle Folsom time trial is not meant as a contest with your peers, but a contest with yourself. Many cycling coaches and trainers recognize the value of a standard 10 mile TT as a benchmark to gauge fitness. This was an early season benchmark that these dedicated cyclists will be able to smash later in the season when they are in peak riding shape!

The morning was cool with temperatures dipping down into the low 50s, but the sun was shining. Winds started to pick up a little, but nothing too significant. Believe it or not, everyone was all smiles before and after conquering the 6 small climbs and the flats down and back to Jackson Hwy.



Others had their game faces on ready to test themselves and set a fitness benchmark to gauge future progress.



A great time was had by all those that participated. Next, TT should be in July.

Tuesday Climbing Ride

Nice ride everyone! 14 cyclists took on the slopes around Folsom and El Dorado Hills; there were some brand new faces riding along with the familiar faces. This past Tuesday we did the clockwise loop around Folsom. I'm not sure if Gary went too early or if he was leading us out, but Ed & I came around him for the county line sprint on Green Valley. I got the sprint, only to get dropped on the climbs a few minutes later. After regrouping at the park, the front end of the group got pretty fast. It was partly my fault. I gradually increased the tempo heading south on Sophia up the gradual climb to E Natoma. I thought if I kept the pace high no one would have any gas left for the Folsom City limit sprint. Wrong! Patrick C. & Ed were right on my wheel, & Patrick easily came around me for the sprint. After regrouping at E Natoma after the sprint, John & Patrick hammered the pace to Cote de Costco. After the summit it was every man for himself. Ed, Erik, and myself caught John and Patrick at a red light. Green light, hammer down, & the race to the bike trail was on! Patrick, John, Ed, & myself slipped away off the front with a nice rotation, but were later caught at a red light a couple of miles from the trail.

My Garmin broke a few weeks back, so I don't have good stats for the ride, but my overall average speed for the 27+ miles was 17.5 mph. Oz got me setup with is old Garmin, so next time I'll be including elevation.

Snelling Road Race, 26 Feb 2011

There were all kinds of reasons not to race Snelling: the weather (cold rain & snow predicted earlier), flooding (last year the course was flooded), my fatigued legs, and my recent cold. The weather was cool, but not wet. There wasn't any flooding, and I wasn't as sick as I was a week or 2 ago. But my legs did feel dead, but that's racing, right? I lined up with everyone else for the Masters 35+ Category 5 race; myself (Brian, Folsom Bike) along with Jeremy and Jeff, both Cycle Folsom notables and racing for Bicycles Plus. Turns out Miles is racing for Team Revolutions; today was the first time I've seen him since he had a little spill on a wet road back in November.



The first of four, 12 mile laps, was very tame with the peloton moving around 18-20 mph. I pre-rode the course a week earlier and knew some of the corners were tricky and possibly had sand on them. I went to the front for the first set of 15 mph chicanes to pick a clean line. It wasn't my intention to be off the front, but everyone else was content riding slow. The peloton was one compact group rolling through the finish after the first lap.





On the 2nd lap, a DBC rider went off the front, but no one was willing to chase him down. Jeff made a little effort over one of the small climbs and I followed his wheel. Without much effort we had a gap. We ended up catching the DBC rider and briefly had a 3 man break. I was feeling the fatigue in my legs and every time the DBC guy pulled through, I was at my limit. I didn't want to blow myself up on the 2nd lap, so decided to drift back to the peloton. A few seconds later, Jeremy comes cruising up with another guy with some distance off the front of the peloton. I tried jumping on their wheels, but again, I was at my limit. This ended up being the winning move. On the first time check the 4-man break had 50 seconds. On the 3rd lap I tried to get the guys at the front of the peloton organized in a rotating pace line to chase them down, but after two rotations it fell apart. Both Body Concepts and Peninsula Velo had 4 or more guys (none in the break), but neither team could get organized. By the end of the 3rd lap the break had 2 minutes; everyone else was racing for 5th.





On the 3rd lap the peloton had a crash on the back side of the course. On the 4th lap, a pro woman Tibco rider in a solo breakaway passed my Cat 5 peloton [Later I read that it was Erinne Willock and she soloed the win]. We were slow. She looked like she weighed 90 pounds, but was riding faster than us into a headwind. Eventually the Cat 5 peloton would get passed by the Pro Women's peloton, but this was right before the fast part of the course and we were literally right on their heels. Just before heading into the corner before the bumpy road, the same corner other guys in our group crashed, the Pro Men's peloton raced up the side of us. Great, 150 cyclists all going into the same tricky corner. Relief, no one crashed. But then my Cat 5 group got neutralized to create a gap behind the woman's group because the finish was about 3 miles away. Because we were neutralized, everyone moved up to the front and were then able to recover, and this was right before the finish. Sure enough, with about a mile to go including one corner and a small hill, we were set loose. Guys nearly started sprinting from a mile out. The pace shot up to 28 mph. I stayed near the front in the top ten, but there was no way I was going to take any wind at that speed from that far out. I picked a good line through the final right-hand turn and kept my speed. A guy in front of me went way wide which was fine, but then he cut back across the course. I literally had to grab a handful of brake, fishtailing my back wheel like a power slide, but was able to quickly recover and get back into a sprint. I was gassed, but kept pushing to the end up the hill. There was a Rio Strada guy in front of me, so it was my final goal to sprint ahead of him. The official results were not in when I wrote this, but I counted about 7 guys in front of me, plus the break away of 4, so that would put me somewhere between 10-15. Not bad considering my legs were cramping over the small climbs on the last lap and a half. Miles also had a strong finish just a few places behind me. Jeremy went on to take first with a solo break from his break-mates; Jeff would then sprint from the 3 man chase group for second. Way to go guys!



El Patron raced the Masters 35+ Category 4 race which was on the course at the same time as my race. Apparently he got in a 2 man breakaway and finished second.



No need to sprint for a finish when no one is in sight around you...



Thanks Krysta for taking the great photos!

Chad and Patrick also raced. You can read about their events in the Cycle Folsom Meetup discussions.