Scenic Route

(Pics tomorrow. I promise.)

I’ve spent the last nine days getting reacquainted with Yellow Bike. I always liked Yellow Bike a lot. I’ve always characterized it as being like a puppy—fast and frisky. Open the door and all it wants to do is run and play.

Thanks to its handbuilt wheelset, it climbs like a goat. That also contributes to a very light feeling through the pedals. I can spin it up with ease, almost as if the pedals aren’t connected to anything.

Its personality and aggressive riding position have always conspired to pull more out of me than I thought I was capable of giving. And on more than one occasion I’ve apologized to the bike saying it was worthy of a better motor.

Alas, things were not perfect. The quill stem was seized in the headset, so there was no adjusting the front end from its aggressive ride position. Plus the bike rode like a buckboard. Between the two, 20 miles was nice and fun, 30 miles okay, 40 miles and I was feeling beat up, 50 miles and just wanted off the thing for a week.

Oh, and its handling was quirky. I’ve since done some research and found its front-end geometry was “high trail”. From Trail and Its Effects at Spectrum Cycles,

…low speeds give a light feel during handling maneuvers, high speed sets up a very solid front end feel. During cornering, the bike will have a tendency to drop into a tighter arc than the rider might have intended.

This describes the old Yellow Bike perfectly. The faster it went—especially descending—the better it felt. Until it came to high-speed cornering. Then it sort of fell into corners.

Delay

Part of the delay in Yellow Bike’s repair was me. First the estimate was more than the bike’s original suggested list price. This made me have to think about replacing the bike, as technically, it was totaled.

Since the insurance company didn’t ask about he bike’s value, I didn’t press the issue. Someday, Yellow Bike will be replaced. Accident, theft, other misadventure, or just plain wearing it out, the day will come when it will need to be retired. But had that day come yet?

I decided that no, it hadn’t. When its time to replace Yellow Bike, it will be with an upgraded model, not something similar. Although the estimate was for more than the bike’s market value, its value to me was higher than a replacement bottom-of-the-line road bike.

The next decision was which fork? Yellow Bike has a one-inch head tube. Since then, the new standard has become inch-and-an-eighth—although even that’s changing as some new bikes are coming with tapered head tubes of an inch-and-a-half at the base.

In any event, carbon forks with one-inch steerers are rare as hens’ teeth. Plus, I really wanted something with fender eyelets. Tons of research led me to just one fork—the Road Fork from Wound Up.

I was pleased with this choice for a second reason. The Portland’s fork is a Bontrager knock-off of the Wound Up fork. I really like the fork and what it does for the ride and handling of the Portland. And, someday, it too will need to be replaced due to accident, theft, other misadventure or just plain wearing out.

When the time comes, I’d like to know the differences between the Bontrager and Wound Up forks. Is the Bontrager a second-rate knock-off? Or did they take a good idea and improve upon it?

The Wound Up Road Fork in the Commuter/Light Touring version with fender eyelets and carbon steerer is $375. I could have saved $80 with the steel steerer, but I’ve had my fill of steel steerers seizing in headsets.

Plus, if I was going for ride quality with carbon, more is better, no?

So it was with hope of improving the ride quality and the added bonus of being able to make side-by-side comparisons with the Portland’s fork, I asked the shop to order the Wound Up.

Of course, we had no reference materials telling us the geometry and measurements of the Yellow Bike’s original fork. The shop took a stab at it and ordered one with a little extra fender clearance.

Wound Up Composite Cycles is a division of Advanced Composites in Salt Lake City. Among other things, Advanced Composites makes carbon fiber stuff for the military. This explains the part of the delay caused by their customer service. But that’s the past.

The other part of the delay contributed by Wound Up is that they carry no inventory of finished product. Each fork is made to order. This explains why they were easily able to make a fork to our specifications. Every fork they make is made to the customer specs.

I’ll tell you, it feels really special to have have components as esoteric as carbon fiber forks custom made to your specs. I now have a taste of what ordering a custom frame will be like. I like the feeling.

Two or three weeks later, when Yellow Bike’s new fork arrived at the shop, I swear I heard the sharp intake of breath from here. It’s the same reaction I had when they opened the box, slipped it out of its packaging and showed it to me.

This fork is so beautiful I need a better apartment to keep it in.

The polished bits are like mirrors, and the carbon, well it’s unlike anything any of us had ever seen.

See, most everything out there made of carbon fiber—at least in bicycle land—is made of a woven carbon fiber cloth. It looks like black burlap down inside the clear epoxy. Advanced Composites uses a completely different method. The fork is literally spun from carbon fiber thread. Hence the name, Wound Up.

And it makes for a completely unique look that sets jaws dropping.

On the Road

The difference was apparent right away back on the third when I rode Yellow Bike out of the shop. We took a couple of laps around the parking lot as I tried to get a feel for the new fork. Then, after we bumped our way through the parking lot next door, over the bad pavement at the curb, and set off down Andrews Street, it became clear. The bike had been transformed.

The cracks and patches on University Avenue completely disappeared. We made the light at Main Street which is a big sweeping left and Yellow Bike took a line and held it. It didn’t fall into the turn as it used to, and when it came time straighten out, it did so without protest or complaint.

Yellow Bike now has “neutral” handling. Again, from Trail and Its Effects at Spectrum Cycles,

…‘neutral’ here refers to two things. First, neutral handling means that a frame set will respond to steering input in the same manner no matter what speed the bicycle is traveling. Second, while cornering, a neutral handling bike will have neither a tendency to climb out of a turn nor have a tendency to dive into the turn, it will simply hold the line that the rider sets up unless further rider input is applied. It does not require the rider to consciously hold a bike down during hard cornering, nor does it require different rider input depending on changing speeds.

This describes the Portland. Now it too describes Yellow Bike.

In the past nine days as I’ve put the bike through its paces, I like it more and more with each passing mile.

Yellow Bike is still frisky as a puppy, but now it has some manners. It no longer beats me up during the ride. I feel as fresh stepping off it after 50 miles as I do the Portland. The front end, at least, now rides better than the Portland.

I’m gaining confidence in cornering with it. It’s taking me time to get used to it not dropping into turns. Making minor corrections, like say, darting around a pothole, it just does it. I don’t have to work at it or anticipate. The bike has become“flickable.” I’ve had to concentrate on lightening my touch.

Yet, at speed, say when descending, it remains stable, as if it were on rails. Nothing disturbs its line—either straight line or when cornering—unless I command it.

Now, that’s all due to changing the geometry, something we could have done with any fork.

Did I mention the ride? Not beating me up is one thing. But this fork is plush. Yet it doesn’t feel dead either. The fork transmits plenty of road feel. I know exactly what the tire is doing at all times. But it dampens all of the road buzz. We could ride fresh chip seal all day long. We encountered a lot of it on the club rides last weekend and this afternoon.

Tar strips and cracks in the road disappear. Potholes are only minor disturbances. On the Riverway and Canalway, all those little roots that are breaking through the pavement are almost fun now because of the way the fork handles them.

First it deflects to the rear. Then as the wheel rolls over the top, the fork springs back forward allowing the wheel to follow the bump down the other side. These things used to launch the wheel so every root had two hard impacts—first from hitting the front side of it, and again upon landing on the other side.

Today’s Ride

I used to dither over which bike to take on club rides. Do I go with Yellow Bike’s performance and climbing? Or do I go with the Portland’s comfort and good manners?

Today, was no question. Yellow Bike. The ride started out at Mendon Ponds Park. Our usual route, out Clover Street to the park’s west side is a big mess of construction, and according to the paper, they would have one intersection all but closed this weekend. I decided to go out Mendon Center Road to the park’s east side instead.

It’s usually a 45-minute ride. However, I haven’t timed this alternate route. And I left ten minutes late. I was grateful for today’s stiff west winds. With the tailwind we sailed out University Ave. Out on East Avenue, it was big ring time. On one gentle descent, not enough to even register the grade on the cyclometer, I looked down and was surprised to see 31 MPH. Yow!

Through Pittsford and out Mendon Center Road, the climbs begin. I was grateful for Yellow Bike’s lightweight wheelset. I’ve been working on my spin and was pleased the on the climbs out to the park today, my cadence never dropped below 90 RPM. We arrived at the park having averaged a remarkable 18.8 MPH on the 11 miles with nearly 700 feet of climbing.

That’s how we got to the start of ride, and arrived right at my target time, despite leaving ten minutes late.

Today’s ride was one of the club’s “Social” rides. The pace is 13–15 MPH average with a stop for ice cream. The purpose is to enjoy the company of fellow cyclists, rather than compete.

The pace was a little slow for Yellow Bike and I, but we coasted a lot and braked plenty. Conversation was great along the way. It was a real pleasure cruise. All along the way, Yellow Bike as well behaved and mild mannered.

On the return, a couple of miles out yet from the park, four of us, tired of the pokey pace, formed a breakaway. We sailed through the turn on to Smith Road and dead into the wind. In the drops, Yellow Bike and I were soon leading the paceline. And I felt so good at the end of this ride, I led the break all the way to the next intersection, where we decided we’d better wait for the rest.

I’ve never felt that good, with so many miles in to a ride, and heading into the wind. Everything I liked about Yellow Bike before is still there, and now I’m comfortable on it for long rides.

Rabbit, rabbit

Coming home, Yellow bike spied a rabbit. In cycling parlance, a rabbit is a bike up ahead. Yellow Bike likes to chase rabbits. Next thing I knew it was into the big ring and spinning up. I had to get down into the drops or risk being blown right off the saddle.

It was all but barking as it chased the rabbit down on the rolling hills of Mendon Center Road. It caught the rabbit, and tucked-in behind it. I couldn’t figure out why. Of course. The stoplight and turn was up ahead.

It let the rabbit out a hundred yards, carved the corner and spun back up, snick, snick, snick through the gears. We passed the rabbit at a decisive rate of speed. I looked over and said, “Ain’t it a great day to be on a bike!” The rabbit breathlessly agreed.

Coasting to the light at Rt 64, we took the lane behind a navy blue SUV. The rabbit filtered to the front on the right side of the shoulder. Poor position. The intersection doglegs left and the rabbit was left too far right as Yellow Bike and I blew by when the light changed. We sailed into Pittsford at a respectable pace with respect to the cars.

The light at Monroe Ave is long and the rabbit caught up. We were three cars back in the through lane and the rabbit passed by in the right-turn-only lane, still rolling and going straight, as the light changed green.

Yellow Bike leapt from the start. I could barely upshift fast enough to keep up with it. The rabbit was running fast, but not fast enough. He did a shoulder-check just as we pulled out into the lane to pass, eyes wide with surprise at seeing us. Where we had passed decisively before, this time it was embarrassing. The rabbit was still somewhere in his middle ring (lower 20s) as we were approaching 30 MPH again.

Yellow Bike was like that all the way in on East Avenue, choosing cars now for its rabbits. I finally reined it in on University saying it was time for cool-down. It settled in to a nice pace in the mid-teens, happy as a bike could be.

And I’m happy with it as I could be.

Away game

We take the show on the road in a week. Back to my parents’ place in Canada again. Two years ago I took the hybrid and Yellow Bike. I rode the hybrid on the dirt roads and Yellow Bike on the asphalt. That was when I decided I’d limit my ride on it to 40 miles. Successive metrics (63 miles) just made me like it less.

Last year I took the Portland and its two wheelsets. Wearing its cyclocross tires, the Portland was a fantastic ride on the dirt roads. I couldn’t have been more pleased. Hell, one day we did a half-cnetury primarily on dirt roads. Out on the highways, it was a pleasure. The Portland is no slouch out on the open roads, but the area is filled with rolling hills, and Yellow Bike is just plain better at them.

This year, I think I’ll take both the Portland and Yellow Bike, and ride each in their element. The 15-day forecast shows sunshine with temps in the 70s all week with a possibility of thunderstorms on a couple of the afternoons. It sounds like a great recipe for some fantastic riding. The three of us can hardly wait.

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 12th, 2009 at 10:17 pm EST and is filed under Bike. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.