Time for some maintenance

So far I've only had my Specialized Venge for about four months. In the past I've usually been one to do all my equipment overhauls or part replacements either at the beginning or end of a season. Take the chain for example, It's the most abused part of your drivetrain. As it sees more and more use, each of the 110 odd links start to stretch and elongate the chain as a whole. That lengthened chain then starts to mesh higher up on the teeth of the cassette which in turn causes the cogs to wear down even faster. If left alone for too long, eventually the chain will start slipping off the gears. If that happens, it's too late to just replace the chain as the cassette will be too worn for a new chain.

This is a common problem we encounter in the shop. We inform the customer that their chain is nearing the end of its life and recommend it's replacement. If they wait too long, a $30 dollar repair can become closer to $100.

I almost didn't follow my own advice. 4500km on a road chain is a bit too long I think. I used the chain checker at work and it checked out in the 100% of chains that need replacing. I installed a new Ultegra chain in the hopes I wouldn't have to replace the Ultegra cassette at the same time. The problem with owning expensive bikes is that the price for parts is way higher than most other bikes. Customers are shocked (and sometimes even angry) when we tell them that the chain on their $4000 dollar mountain bike is $80 instead of the $25 one they just saw a customer with a CCM walk out with. In my case, the chain was $65 and the cassette would be $130.

I give the whole drivetrain a cleaning when I replace the chain because it doesn't make sense to install a new chain on a dirty bike. As I go to remove the cassette from the free hub I run into a little difficulty....
Each of the cogs are jammed onto the splines and completely stuck. Thank god the shop has a chain vice tool - it's the best for gripping the cogs so I can spin them off the freehub.

So once I finally got all of the gears off I was able to survey the damage. I don't know if it has anything to do with the lightweight materials used in the freehub body construction that makes them easier to dent, but maybe it was just the massive amounts of power I'm laying down :P 

 At the end of the day I finished the clean, installed the new chain and didn't experience any slippage. Next time I'll swap it all out a little sooner. Hopefully I won't have destroyed the splines by then

Countdown to a Race!

 What goes into a race weekend? Clearly to be successful there's a lot more to it than showing up and riding your bike really fast - There needs to be some form of preparation, in this case going as far back as mid August. As such, I present to you my countdown to Provincial Championships!

Dawn of the First Day:
3 weeks remain
This race is obviously a bit more important than the others - it's the championships! As a result, preriding is open much further in advance than the other races. What better way to spend time than practicing the course I'll be racing on? (Not like I'd be doing anything else)
This stage is all about the recce, or the reconnoiter. I travel the course at a very reduced pace so I can learns the ins and outs, the ups and downs and the lefts and rights. I experiment with different lines so I can find the fastest way around the course with the least amount of effort. Take this rock garden for example...

There's a bumpy bit of trail and it takes a few runs to see the best way through and to be able to do it at race pace. After just a couple of times through it, I'm feeling confident enough to move on. Three total laps on the day and it's back to training

Dawn of the Second Day:
2 weeks remain
Another early preride. Got to ride the course with Adam Morka and he was able to shed some light on the more tricky sections. This time saw some more recce laps as well as some at race pace.

The course has a lot to offer - twisty singletrack, steep climbs, wide open descents and ruthless rock gardens. Not to mention some jumps...

Dawn of the Third Day:
24 hours remain
Last day for preriding and I'm kinda dreading things - There's a rainfall warning for the area, the most we've had all at once this year in fact - 50mm. That does not bode well for the course. Considering how technical things are if you add slippery conditions into the mix it's going to make a tough course a living hell. Especially when that slippery is because of a torrential 50mm of water. Before heading up I check the organizers web page - preride is cancelled, they want to preserve the course for tomorrow. A very smart decision. There have been plenty of opportunities to preride the course and riding on it in these conditions won't gain you anything but some smelly laundry and a dirty bike.
I still have to get some intensity in before the race but I just end up doing that on the road near my house rather than on the race course. At least it saves me three hours of driving...

Training over, it's time to prepare for the race day in earnest..

7:00 pm
18.5 hours remain

Time for dinner! Classic chicken and pasta in a home-made tomato sauce. Nothing special here, moving along...

8:00 pm
17.5 hours remain

Time to fill up the car! Nothing sucks more than leaving the next day and realising that you have to stop for fuel on the way. It just ruins the groove! No longer driving to the races in a '98 Town and Country, I get to do it in my WRX. (This make me happy)

10:00 pm
15.5 hours remain

This step is pretty straight forward, lay out the race kit and put it in a bag. Don't want to rush in the morning trying to find things. The next step is the final tuneup on the bike. This is where I take it into my shop
(shown here http://beyondthebonk.blogspot.ca/2012/07/a-tour-of-my-shop.html)
At this point I've already given the bike a thorough cleaning and it's just minute adjustments at this point. If I have to replace brake pads or replace cables then I've left it far too late. I make sure it's shifting properly, the calipers are properly aligned, the tires are pumped and the chain is lubed. The last thing I do to it is attach the race number for Ontario Cups, #613.

11:00 pm
14.5 hours remain
Now that all of my equipment is taken care of and it's all staged in the foyer I start to prep myself. Cue the hot shower and shaving...

 And don't forget this is a cycling race! The leg hair has got to go!

That's more like it.
Immediately after it's time to hit the sack.

Dawn of the Final Day
4.5 hours remain

 9:00am means wake up time. Starting the races at 1:30 has been by far the best part of racing in Expert. In Sport we had to start at 11:45. As you can imagine, waking up this late wouldn't be possible.

10:00 am
3.5 hours remain
Time to break fast! I eat my breakfast about three and a half hours before race start. The goal is to hit the start line feeling full on an empty stomach. I have pancakes because they burn pretty clean and some eggs because they're easily digestible protein. A glass of OJ washes it all down and aids in digestion.

After the b-fast we pack the car and head out. Once I get my contacts in I only truly worry about three things
1) The bike
2) The shoes
3) The helmet                           As long as you have these three things you can race

12:00 pm
1.5 hours remain
I arrive at the race site an hour and a half before race start. Normally I do my race check-in the day before but since it was closed I pop in quickly to get my name on the start list. At around 12:45 I start my warmup and end it right before the race starts so I can hit the line running.

1:30 pm
The Beginning of the End
Race start. Four laps of physical pain and mental anguish. The body cries for an end to the torment but the mind wills it on harder.

I'm inside the top 10. I went easy for the first lap and wanted to push harder as the race went on. Halfway through my second lap however I noticed that steering the bike became a lot harder. Anytime I tried to turn the bike it wouldn't track straight and it would roll to the outside on any sharp corners. As I came through to the jump I realised I must have a slow leak in the front tire. The only option is to race as long as possible and hope the tire stays on the rim.

Alas it wasn't to be. About a quarter of the way through the third lap I was riding on my rim. My race was over...
Not a way anyone would want to end a race, but there's still plenty of racing left to do this season. As I ended this series with a DNF, I can only improve on it. And you know the best part about cycling, besides the actual riding bit?




The recovery of course!

Special Thanks to the girlfriend for taking all the pics!
.... And to Bailey who cares so much about my racing :P

Shop Sightings

So I haven't been into the store as much, having found a new job and all, but I still come across stuff in the shop that either makes my jaw drop or head hurt. Let's start with the headaches!

First on the docket is this Roundatil. The re-designed rear... triangle is meant to be more vertically compliant, absorb road shock and allow you to ride longer, easier.

Yeah it seems to ride like any other hybrid out there. Furthermore the price point is WAY higher for a similarly spec'd bike. Lastly, it's ugly. I mean c'mon look at it. It looks like it has a disease. Moving on

Here's a rear suspension pivot with an air chuck in place of proper bearings and bushings. No it doesn't work so great. No he didn't want to fix it. Yes it boggles my mind how it all holds together.
Now for some good stuff!

 *drool drool drool*
One of the guys in the shop just got his new wheels in. ENVE carbon wheels. They don't even paint them so as to save weight.

They look freaking amazing

I want a pair

That is all

The Road to Provincials

The Ontario Cup series is drawing closer to the end. September 9th is the final race of the season and it's looking to be a doozy.

This year we are returning to Highlands Nordic for the final day of racing. Last year was apparently so well received that we're getting a second dosage. Personally I missed this race last year but I've gotten plenty of chances to preride the thing and I can say it's going to be tough. The course organizers are really aiming to lay the hurt on us as the course is relentless in causing cardiovascular agony.

The course starts very narrow so fighting to be on the front of the pack will be all the more fierce. It turns quickly into a steep climb and even quicker into some narrow singletrack. After a jump and foray into the first of many rock gardens, the course opens up into a very wide, very long climb to the top. In the winter time I come to Highlands to do a lot of nordic skiing, the sport this venue is known for. It's really interesting to see what it looks like without six feet of snow and to race in the opposite direction up the steep climb.

Getting back into the singletrack is an exercise in restraint. All the other courses would demand that you put the hammer down but everything here is so devilishly tricky that it's just not worth the energy to sprint from braking zone to braking zone. Maintaining a steady pace and carefully picking your line through the trees and huge rocks will serve you better in the long run. Even the downhills here are harder than they look as they're littered with rocks that require the utmost concentration. No chance for a physical break as your body gets pounded by the stones and if you try to take a mental break you'll probably find yourself picking your bike up out of the bushes. One wrong step through the rock gardens and all of your momentum will be instantly sapped and you'll have to work hard to get that speed back. Do that for four laps and you might not have enough for a fighting finish.

The course is just so relentless in every way - tricky singletrack, harsh downhills and butt-busting rock gardens. To be honest though, the departure from courses that only need raw speed for a course that requires more efficiency and strategy is fitting for a provincial championship. I'm also really glad I got the rear suspension overhaul done on my HeiHei a while back because that's the bike I'll be using. The course is just far too rough for a 26er hardtail I think.

Training this week has seen me keep the intensity but cut the workload so my body can peak just in time for the race. Of all the training days I've had, the legs have felt really fresh and more than capable for what the workout is asking for. I'm really excited for the race because I definitely feel like I'm on top form but also because I'll have a cheering section. The girlfriend has wanted to see me race for sometime now and she's not going to miss this chance - I have to make sure to put on a good show!