I found this while searching the internet for photos of races I went to last year…
It’s from the TN State RR Championships just outside of Nashville. I was sprinting for the cat 4 champ title (although there were a few 1/2/3 riders just ahead of the two of us). The other girl in the photo is Gina Tolbert, who rides for Vantaggio now. She’s pretty darn strong- you can’t mistime your sprint or otherwise screw up, or she’ll beat you :)
I leave today for Birmingham! I’ll be racing in the Spokes For Strokes Hoover Criterium. As part of the Southeast Women’s Series, they’ve got a 3/4 crit as well as a Pro 1/2/3 crit for women, so I’ll be racing both. This will be my first chance ever to race with teammates! I’m pretty excited since I was solo (except for a couple of races where older masters racers were combined w/women) in my races last year. This will also be my first crit of the year, and seems like it may have sogginess potential as far as weather goes. It should be fun either way!
I just found a saddle that I think I like (Selle San Marco Glamour Aspide), but, even with several tweaks, I don’t feel exactly right as far as my position on the bike. Since the old saddle I had was leather, it sagged like a hammock when I sat on it, so, where you’d normally measure from the BB to the top of the saddle to determine the right height to set a new saddle, I couldn’t do that since I have no idea where the saddle sagged to when I sat on it. It was also very long, so the fore/aft positioning wasn’t that important because there was so much “sittable” area.
SO….
This afternoon, I’m riding over to Bikes Plus for a fitting with Karen. Hopefully this will be exactly what I need to finally be comfortable on my bike. I am hesitant to say that I have found a saddle that works, so I want to make sure that if it doesn’t work, it’s not because of improper bike fit. Updates will follow!
UPDATE:
It seems I did a good job of setting everything up- Karen didn’t feel like she needed to make any changes. If you’re in the Memphis area, I highly recommend going to see her for bike fits. She is very nice, keeps all of your measurements on record, and won’t rush you through any part of the fit process (not to mention very knowledgeable).
Ouch! I think Tyler sums it all up in one word…
I’ve ridden the new build a couple of times now, and compared to the Frankenstein Ultegra components I had on my bike, the Red is better in any way I can think of. When accelerating and climbing, I feel like I’m getting more power for less effort (a product of ceramic BB bearings as well as weight reduction in the crank & rear cogs).
The shifting is also great. Where Ultegra feels a little mushy, the Red is crisp and very precise. Doubletap took a little getting used to, but by the end of my 3.5 hour ride yesterday, it felt just as automatic as my previous shifting.
Last but not least, the brakes almost threw me off of my bike the first time I used them on the road. I adjusted them in as close as possible to my handlebars (very easy to do just by turning a bolt on the top of the lever assembly under the hood), and they’re very strong! The Red paint job on the levers is pretty sexy, too.
Check out pictures of the build a few posts down in the one titled “Red, white, and Blue” (yeah, cheesy, I know).
It started snowing sometime yesterday afternoon. When I woke up this morning, this was the view from my front porch…
I think it’s because I got my bike built up to ultimate badass status.The most riding I’ll get to do today will be on the rollers :(
I’ve officially built my dream bike.
Yeah, I’m on Spring Break this week, so I’ll be posting a lot :)
Here’s the manufacturer’s product description:
6 degree swept-back tops, 3 degree flare, Ergo bump and super shallow (135mm) drop for more a comfortable riding position : R50 bend for more hand room : Deep groove hides cables : 290g (42cm/31.8). Width measured from center to center
I put these on about a week ago to replace my 42cm ergo bend bars. They’d gotten somewhat flexy (metal fatigue), and I tended to hit my forearms on the tops of the bars when sprinting in the drops. Because the Biomax II bar ends flare out, I ordered a 40cm in order to keep my hands in line w/my shoulders when on the drops.
The first thing I noticed was how much stiffer these were than my old bars. The width is perfect. On the hoods, my hands are a little narrower than on the previous bars, and they feel perfectly in line with my shoulders when I’m in the drops. Even with my long arms, I feel more comfortable with the shallower drop. The “biomax” features- swept back tops and flared drops- really are nice. The flare makes sprinting in the drops much more comfortable than before. I feel much more stable in that position than with my previous bars.
The only discomfort I’ve noticed is the amount of vibration I get with the bars, but, they’re aluminum, so I’m not really surprised. It’s worth it for some extra stiffness when it counts. I think once I switch my tape out from some plain cork to a gel cork that I’ll be more comfortable.
Unless someone comes out with a carbon version bar like this, they’ll be what I ride!
If you know me, you have likely heard me complaining about my saddle at one time or another. In the past year and a half, I’ve tried and disliked 9 different saddles from a Fizik Arione, several Terrys, a couple of Specializeds, a couple of different leather saddles, and a partridge in a pear tree. All of them, in one way or another, have done something to make me incredibly uncomfortable somewhere in the undercarriage.
I’ve decided to make a saddle que-
Selle San Marco Glamour Aspide
Topeak Allay
One or more of the new Trek WSDs that aren’t out yet
A Selle Italia of some sort
Unlike what I’ve done in the past (ride until I can no longer stand it), I’m going to try one, and, if it gives me a problem, immediately return or sell it and go to the next one down the list. I’m tired of something hurting every time I ride!
I know there are some other women who read this that have had saddle issues. What have you tried?
Joe started on my dragon’s color last night. Total tattoo time so far has been about 7 hours. We’ve got a loooooong way to go…
