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Tech letters for July 4, 2002
Edited by John Stevenson
Confounded by carbon fiber? Need to sound off about superlight stuff? Tech letters is the forum for your gear-related questions and opinions. We'll attempt to answer all questions that don't require a PhD in astrophysics or industrial espionage.
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Shimano pads for ceramic rims
Crank length
Is that really an S-Works?
Record-compatible BB
Fizik Aliante
Shoe set-up
Handlebar drop
Squeaky pedals
Specialized Epic
Campag eight to nine-speed does go!
German AX Lightness carbon saddle
Stems
Tyres
Mechanics course
Strength through off-road joy
Shimano pads for ceramic rims
Could you please tell me where I can get replacement brake pads for Shimano RX100 caliper brakes for use on ceramic rims or suitable pads for my rims. I have at present the standard Shimano pads which are useless in the wet.
Ray Stigter
Ray, you can get them from Shimano. The pads are part number Y-8FA 98150 and they fit Dura-Ace, Ultegra and 105 shoe holders, which you will probably have to buy as well.
Crank length
Roughly how many pros ride with 180mm cranks? What does Cipo use? I came to the road scene years ago from MTB and BMX and couldn't understand why everyone used such small cranks. My first bike came with 172.5s and everyone told me that is the longest that I should use. When I asked why I was told that shorter cranks are easier to spin. I'm 6'3" tall and I can't get any torque on the smaller cranks and this made it very difficult to spin. I became much faster immediately after switching to 175s but I'm still not comfortable with them and would like to try 180s.
I have also been told that sprinters need smaller cranks so that they can spin them faster. This also makes no sense to me because sprinting is more about producing power through torque that spinning. That is why kids on BMX bikes ride 185s. Somebody please give me a logical explanation to crank length on road bikes for taller people. The only one I have for shorter cranks is ground clearance, but to me that is a frame design issue.
Mark Johnston
Is that really an S-Works? (less than 6 degrees of separation)
I enjoyed your letter and the responses from the manufacturers about what's really beneath that pro paint job. (Cannondale and Specialized)
With more and more multi-shaped tube frames in the peloton, It's actually getting quite easy to spot the next years gear being used in the Tour de France, when you look back on your tapes of the race. I recently re-watched my tape of OLN's tour coverage last year, and on stage 11, the mountain individual time trail stage, Bob Roll explains what equipment is being used for this special stage, and is standing beside Christophe Moreau's mountain time trial S-Works, which is now easily recognizable a 2002 S-works E-5. It even had a newly stickered Time Avant carbon fork, like Specialized had originally specced on this bike for 2002, before switching to Reynolds for Aqua&Sapone... Ironically this is the bike Cipo rides today.
Grant McLean
Toronto, Canada
Record-compatible BB
Just about any nine-speed compatible crankset will also work with a Record 10 drivetrain, I have been using a Dura-Ace nine-speed. crankset with Dura Ace 53/39T rings and an Ultegra BB for a about four months, flawlessly. I use this set-up in racing and training, riding 200-300 miles a week. I have also used a Dura-Ace nine-speed chain on this same Record drivetrain, it works fine. However it is a little noisier than a real 10 spd chain, but in a pinch it will get you by.
Barry Haley
Fizik Aliante #1
Quite simply the finest saddle I've ever ridden.
Mario Aponte
Fizik Aliante #2
Got 6000 Belgian kilometres on my Aliante so far and it is still the nicest lightweight saddle I have ever used. It hasn't broken (I have hammered it on cobbles, but I also weigh about 152lb and don't usually break things) and doesn't get rock-solid in the cold. Almost feels springy sometimes - I find myself looking at my rear tire now and then. I don't find that I have any trouble moving around in the saddle during races - I have been pinned to the nose in more than one kermis. My fit-guy noticed that it was a little shorter than most saddles - that might help those that have to cut the noses off their saddles to be UCI legal.
RJ Rooke
Oostende, Belgium
Fizik Aliante #3
I just tried the Aliante on demo from our local sales rep. As a bike shop employee, I try everything that comes through. This saddle was incredibly comfortable even on the first ride. The flex from the carbon shell was welcome. Only complaint is the high nose which feels slightly invasive when in the drops.
BSG
Dave's Bike Sport
Fizik Aliante #4
I have a couple rides in, almost all climbing and descending. I bought the blue Nytek covered version and I'm using Campy carbon seat post on Serotta Ti Legend with Neutron wheels.
The Aliante is MUCH more comfortable than my 240g Marquis de San Marco Era. (Who thought to put stitching in perineal area anyway?) Also noticeably better than a Selle Italia Flite, which chafed my left leg raw. The carbon rails on the Aliante soak up bumps noticeably better than the Ti rails on an Era or Flite, although with a titanium bike frame, this was never a problem.
The Aliante has a definite sweet spot due to its curved top. I find myself moving back off the hoods to the bar curve to sit back onto the wide part of the seat. I think this will be good in the long run as it provides a couple positions for less wear and tear on long rides. Once there, my butt doesn't go numb like other seats I've tried. The seat is very plush ascending as incline holds you in place. I tried tilting the seat up one notch to help keep me back, but the front definitely intruded on delicate spots, so I moved it back.
The shape of the seat is also good for pushing off the back on steep descents or standing up to climb, and not snagging your shorts when you slide back into position.
I weighed the Aliante at 176g on a Mettler scientific scale. Note that the seat post clamping area is wrapped in aluminum, not titanium as Excel Sports catalog indicates. Also note that "blue" and "black" as noted in catalogs/web sites are not the same--blue being Nytek and black being leather. Check out the www.fizik.it website for the best information.
Darrel Stickler
San Mateo, CA
Shoe set-up
In setting up your cleats on a new pair of shoes it is important to follow these rules to get you into the ballpark of the correct position.
1. On a LOOK cleat set the wide part of the cleat(you should see a line marking this area on the right and left portion of the cleat) to the wide part of the shoe. This will set your cleat horizontally across the sole.
2. To set the cleat vertically on the sole align the front of the cleat straight through the center of the shoe as if an imaginary line cut the shoe in half from the toe to the heel.
3. This will put the cleat in an area that will prevent injury to your knees. Still, due to different persons riding style and foot design, ride around the block, minimally adjusting the degree of the cleat. Find the placement that feels most comfortable and natural without making large changes from the instructions above. Keep in mind that persons with bigger feet will have to move the cleat from the widest part of shoe more in the direction of the heel of the shoe.
Anonymous helpful person
Handlebar drop
I have recently done these measurements. The Deda bar (non anatomic) like Lance Armstrong rides is the shallowest I have found:
Model clamp drop reach Solida 26 145 90 ITM 26 154 88 EMS 26 150 80 Deda 215 26 143 87 Deda 215 round 26 136 81 Prima 26 148 76 Forma SL 26 148 80 Solida 31.8 145 90 Newton 31.8 145 90 Magic 31.8 151 90 Millennium 31.8 155 88 Zepp 31.8 148 80
Grant McLean
Buyer, sportinglife
Squeaky pedals
Just clean the Look pedal very often, and grease them with vaseline. And when the squeaking doesn't stop, glue a piece of a old inner tube under the black or red plate from the pedal. And don't walk much on these kind of pedal plates- that what other types of pedals are for.
Mick
Specialized Epic #1
Don't believe the hype. That "new" suspension design has been used by Bergwerk of Germany for a few years. I believe Bergwerk is owned by or has an association with Merida who bought a 49 percent stake in Specialized a couple of years ago when they were hurting. Merida is one of the largest producers of Bicycles in the world.
Jeff Sanford
Specialized Epic #2
When I was young, I remember my dad giving me lecture on unsprung vs. sprung weight with regards to off road auto suspension systems. The gist of it was that less unsprung weight, in general, made for better suspension systems. Less weight at the end of the suspension lever made for less inertia and a wheel that responded quicker to impacts.
Now I'm no engineer, as you probably guessed from my lame description, above, but it does seem that Specialized's new Epic suspension design goes against the "less unsprung weight" school of thought. It's added the weight of the shock to the swingarm, adding unsprung weight and causing the wheel to have more inertia and react slower to input than a comperable syspension design with the shock inboard.
Cool idea, though. I guess every new idea has some drawbacks. It'll be interesting to read some real road tests.
Andy Bury
Austin, TX
Campag eight to nine-speed does go!
Thought I'd share an absolute gem of a solution with any fellow frustrated Campy eight-speed riders.
I've been trying for some time to get a replacement eight-speedchorus/record rear hub/wheel but to no avail (the rest of my eight-speed 1997 chorus drivetrain still works perfectly).
I went through bike shop after bike shop, proposed solutions from experts like Shimano hub, extra spacers, replace hub bodies, swap hub bodies... nothing worked.
Then Michael at Trak Cycles in Melbourne suggested getting a Campy nine-speed rear wheel, removing one cog from the cluster and replacing the spacers with a $20 set of miche spacers - lo and behold a perfectly functioning eight-speed rear wheel. What's more when my eight-speed drivetrain does give up the ghost and I upgrade to nine/ten-speed I can still use the same rear wheel/hub/cluster.
There is no mention of this on the Campy website and they responded to my email by saying it couldn't be done... Wrong!
Paul Gladwell
German AX Lightness carbon saddle
Where can I get more info on this? Website?
Fritz White
Fritz, try here: www.ax-lightness.de
Stems
I am having difficulty finding a 90mm stem to fit my handlebars with 25.4mm clamp diameter. The most frequent suggestion I get is to replace my handlebars with the clamp, which I don't care to do. Any suggestions?
Bill
Plano, TX USA
Mountain bikes use 25.4mm handlebars, so the first thing I'd be tempted to try is a lightweight MTB stem. You may have to install it upside-down to get the bar in the right place, assuming you're using a threadless headset.
Tyres
Is tyre "stickiness" a factor in tyre design and manufacture? How much technology is invested in tyre composition and compounds?
Jeffrey Wellborn
The short answer is 'yes' and the long answer is probably a university course in tyre design. From the conversations I have had with tyre folks over the years, tyre design is about balancing durability, weight, stickiness in the wet and in the dry and, sadly, marketability. The latter leads to some deeply dodgy products, which fortunately don't usually last long in the market. How well the tyre grips the road is definitely a factor, but sometimes not as important a one as you'd expect, as it's not easy to measure and sell.
Mechanics course
Awesome site that I have checked daily for about 4 years. I am really keen to change my career, however my plan involves knowing bike mechanics well. Is there nay courses available, in Australia?
Michael Cross
Not that we know of. Goulburn TAFE offered one a few years ago, but no longer seems to. Can anyone else out there help?
Strength through off-road joy
I am a road cyclist and was wondering to make me a stronger cyclist I was thinking of buying a mountain bike and could it be possible to put a 53x39 crank on it and gear 12-27 in the back.
Shaun Keenan
Persuading a 53/39 crank to fit on a mountain bike is tricky - it usually requires a very long bottom bracket axle to stop the rings hitting the chainstays. Anyway, I'm not sure why you'd want to do this. If the objective is to work harder, then just add a couple of waterbottles filled with lead shot to your bike.
That said, I'd certainly recommend getting a mountain bike to add some fun and variety to your riding.
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