Cycle Cambridge

By Winston Endall

Not everyone has the cash to buy the Tour de France wonder machines on the market. More people are looking for a good value in a high performance carbon road bike. This is where bikes like the Kuota Kharma Race come in. Many of the features of the higher end models with a much more modest price tag. Four years ago a frame like this would have been on a $6000 bike. Now the complete bike is less than half of that.

The Kharma Race is available as a complete bike or frameset to build how you like. The complete bikes are available with Shimano 105 or Ultegra, or SRAM Rival. I tested the Rival equipped bike. While a review of the group will be for another article, it works flawlessly. Shifts are fast and precise with a good lever feel.

The heart of any bike is the frame and what a heart the Kharma Race has. The swooping curve of the top tube draws the eye to the aero seat cluster. All the tubes flow into one another. Unusual for a bike of this price, the frame tubes are aerodynamically optimized to help you cut through the wind. This includes a cut out for the rear wheel in the seat tube and an airfoil shaped seat post. As wind drag accounts for over 90 percent of the resistance when riding on level terrain, every little bit helps. The fit is a little more relaxed than it’s higher end siblings, with a slightly shorter top tube for a given size All of the tubes are shaped to give a good balance between aerodynamics, stiffness and weight. And being an Italian design, a certain flare is apparent that you don’t see from a lot of the big brands. You will stand out on the local group ride on a Kuota Kharma, as they aren’t the standard cookie cutter bike.

But that is just the construction. The ride quality is the real star of the show. When I stated earlier that this would have been a top of the line frame a few years ago, I wasn’t exaggerating. I used to ride the Orbea Orca and that is what this bike reminds me of. Stiff but not harsh. Light and responsive. Handling is quick but not twitchy. Just very well balance with a good road feel. When you jump out of the saddle to sprint or climb a hill, the power is driven to the rear wheel. This doesn’t ride like a company’s starter carbon fiber bike. If you put on a set of race wheels on, you will be able to contest any ride or race you have the legs for.

The build kit that comes with the bike is solid with Deda bar and stem, Selle San Marco Ponza saddle and Shimano R-500 wheels. You may find the need to swap cockpit parts as the fit of these won’t be for everyone, but is usual with any bike. The only area I would suggest upgrading if you want to race or just get maximum speed, is the wheels. The Shimano wheels are fine as a training wheel but the aren’t either light or aero enough for a race wheel. If you haven’t ridden deep carbon fiber rimmed wheels then you won’t find it an issue.

The Kharma Race fits my criteria of being a working class bike. It’s light but tough. Good value with performance well above it’s price tag.

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Rock and Roll Gold is the premium chain lube from Rock and Roll Lubrication. This company has a steamlined product line that covers most of your bike maintenance need. In addition to the lubes they also make degreaser, cable lube, tire sealant and grease. Like many lubes, it comes in a little drip bottle to make for easy application.

Keeping your chain and drivetrain clean and lubricated is one of the easiest ways to keep your bike functioning properly. With so many lubes on the market all saying they are the best it’s hard to figure out what to use. In my 17 years of working in the bike business, I’ve tested just about every lube on the market. Rock and Roll Gold is my favorite I’ve used so far. I expect some one will come out with something better some day but for the last few years this is the only stuff I use on my bikes unless I’m testing a new lube.

When testing a lube I look for a few things.

How clean it is?

Does it clean the chain and does it stay clean. A crudded up chain wears quicker and shifts poorly. Rock and Roll Gold is the cleanest lube I’ve ever used. When you first put it on, it lifts dirt that you can wipe off with a clean, dry rag. It’s stays clean, even in wet conditions. After each ride, wipe down your chain and what little dirt it picked up will come right off. Put an application on a dirty chain and it’s amazing how it just lifts the grimy crud from the surface of the metal. Pedal it backwards a few times. Then wipe off the chain with a rag and the chain looks like new.

How long does it last between applications?

I’ve used lubes that won’t even make it through one ride before my chain is making that dry, raspy sound that says “lube me”. I don’t want to have to lube my chain before every ride, particularly on my commuting bike. In dry summer conditions, I’ve gotten over 500 kms from an applications of Rock and Roll Gold, before the chain is dry. Over that time is didn’t get the crud build up that occurs with many lubes. You get less mileage during wet conditions, but I’ve done century rides that have a lot of rain and things are still functioning smoothly at the end.

Does it reduce drive train wear?

This is associated with how clean it is but the actual lubricant can reduce metal on metal friction as well. Compared to popular wax lubes, I’ve found that my chains last up to twice as long when I lube with Rock and Roll Gold weekly. With chain oils or wax I find that I get between 2500 and 3000 kms on a quality chain. With Rock and Roll Gold I often get over 5000 kms before is has worn to the point of replacement. As most lubes cost about the same, this stuff saves you money over other lubes as parts will last longer.

Does it improve shifting and leave the drive train running quietly?

What lube you use can make a big difference in how well your drive train functions. Rock and Roll Gold is the quietest lube I’ve ever used. We use it in the repair shop and it’s one of the quickest ways to improve the function of an older drive train. I really notice in on mountain bikes where the chain is subjected to harder shifts and sharper angles.

Overall this is the best chain lube on the market. I’ve not found many products that make this big of a difference but Rock and Roll Gold is a winner. The only negative is that is isn’t bio-degradable so if that is your main priority, then stick to the vegetable oil based lubes. They don’t work as well but they are more environmentally friendly.

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By Winston Endall

Single Speed Mountain Biking has grown in popularity but with all of the cool technology available, why would someone take to the trails with only one gear and often no suspension?

This is something that has to be answered by each individual, but there are certain themes that prevail. At it’s heart, single speeding is about the ride, not the bike. When you strip the bike down to the bare minimum you need to ride the trails, you get down to the experience of just riding. If you want to make it up that hill, you better push harder on the pedals. To go faster, you have to pedal faster, end of story.

Most mountain bikers look at single speeders like they have a screw loose, which we probably do. To choose the harder way seems some how wrong to the modern aesthetic of using technology to make things easier. But that is the key point. Who ever said mountain biking was supposed to be easy?

We ride for both recreation and to test ourselves. This goes for single speeders and geared riders alike. What tests you more than choosing the harder path?

If you are into recycling, take an old frame and convert it to single speed. There are specific single speed frames but you can get a taste by doing a conversion. It’s a fun project and as far as bike builds go, very cheap.

But enough of the spiritual journey that is single speeding. There are lots of practical reasons to recommend going the way of one gear.

Lighter weight – take off derailleurs, cassette, chainrings and shorten your chain. That’s a lot of weight.

Cheap to maintain – Chains, cogs and chainrings all last longer as their is no side bending of the chain. When you do have to replace parts they are cheaper.

More reliable – With no chain slack and no side movement to the chain, you are less likely to bust a chain. You don’t have derailleurs to screw up. With a single speed, things just keep working.

Better workout – You spin the flats and attack hills out of the saddle, making for a full body workout every time you ride. The core and upper body get as much work as the legs leading to better over all fitness.
And as an added bonus, you will get lots of notice from other riders. People who haven’t ridden a single speed think it’s a lot harder than it actually is, so they see single speeders as mountain bike tough guys (or girls). I ride a single speed because it’s fun and challenging. All the other stuff is great for justifying why I do it. If you want a new thrill, give single speeding a shot.

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By Winston Endall

Tires are one of the parts that really makes a difference to how your bike rides. I was running the Michelin Speedium which were an okay tire but felt a bit sluggish. They were pretty tough but I wanted something faster. I swapped out my current tires for the Kenda C2C road tires ( 700×23). These are one of Kenda’s premium road race tires with a 120 tpi casing and dual compound rubber.

They were designed by Tinker Juarez for his entry in the Race Across America. The weight of the Kenda C2C is 215 grams so they are pretty light. They have a layer of armored material under the tread to increase puncture resistance.

The Kenda’s were 120 grams lighter each than the tires I had been riding which I noticed right away when it came to accelerations. The high tread count made for a really supple ride. When inflated to 120 psi they still felt smooth. A stiffer casing at this pressure is harsh riding but that’s not the case with higher end tires. When going in a straight line they really roll fast which is good. I need all the help I can get. Rubber compound make a noticeable difference in the speed of a tire. The grip is good on steep hill climbs even in the wet.

When it comes to cornering, this is where I found the tire really shined. The softer rubber on the sides and the fine tread pattern let me rail corners. As long as there was no gravel I felt confident taking corners at full speed and laying the bike right over. The supple casing conformed to the ground without being squirming around.

After 1500 kms, the rear tire shows a bit of wear but still has many miles left. The front looks like new. In that time I’ve had no flats. Whether that is the puncture resistant belt or just good luck I can’t say but my last tires had 5 flats in that distance. The tire that I would say is closest in ride quality is the Michelin Pro Race. The Pro Race is a very fast tire but is fragile. Unlike the Michelin, the Kenda C2C doesn’t get little cuts in the tread from this distance of riding.

If the gold cornering tread works with your color scheme, then your should give these tires a shot. I find them as good as other companies premium race tires, but at about half the cost. If your racing or riding a lot you will go through tires. Getting twice as many for the price is a big savings. Kenda doesn’t get the credit it deserves for the quality of their road tires being know for their offroad tires but the C2C really does the job.

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A new Canadian pro cycling team was unveiled yesterday at the Royal Ontario Museum. Organized by Canadian Tour De France legend Steve Bauer, the new Spidertech team has ambitions of racing the Tour De France within the next 5 years. Sponsors include Spidertech(sports medicine tape), Jim Balsillie and Saputo Dairy Products.

Read the full story at the Toronto Star  http://www.thestar.com/sports/article/757375–bauer-balsillie-behind-new

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By Winston Endall

Everyone is looking for that secret piece of the puzzle that will allow them to get the speed and fitness you need to go from middle of the pack to winning races. While nothing replaces hard work and consistency, you can get more from your training if you apply these ideas. The techniques outlined here are either unknown to most cyclists or not used the way they should be. Apply the things you learn to your training and you will see a big improvement in your riding performance.

Some of these techniques can be followed year round while others need to be used sparingly to give your fitness a kick start when you’ve hit a plateau. I will start with the easiest concepts to integrate into your program and work to the harder one.

Many of these techniques are pretty advanced so you want to have at least a couple of years of steady training under your belt before you attempt them.

Progressive Overload

This concept is so simple yet not applied by nearly enough people. Each week you need to do a little more than you did last week. Most self-coached riders keep riding the same distances and paces, week after week. It doesn’t mean that your over all ride time each week has to keep going up (that can help at times though), but you need to get more work done in that time. If you did 5 hill repeats this week, do 6 next week. If you burned 1000 kilojoules on a ride (measured if you have a power meter) then aim for 1100 next week. Limit over all increases to 5-10% per week.

Yoga and Crossfit

I have to mention this, although it isn’t really a secret. I see so many cyclists that are fit in the narrow parameters of cycling but their bodies are a mess. Muscles are overly tight and they have aches all over. In time they will end up with overuse injuries that could have been prevented if they looked after their bodies the way the worked on their cycling specific fitness. A big motor in a weak chassis isn’t the recipe for a long cycling career. Doing 20 minutes of yoga, 3 times per week does wonders for flexibility and recovery. 3 Crossfit workouts of 10 minutes or less will help with core strength and fitness of both the prime movers and support muscles, making the body perform better over all.

Stack Workouts

Who says you do only an aerobic ride or one type of intervals during a workout? Stack workouts are ones that have more than one type of training in a single workout. For example, as part of a long ride, do 60 minutes of aerobic paced riding, 2 threshold repeats of 20 minutes and then finish the training portion of the ride with 20 X 30 seconds hard with 30 seconds recovery. Stacks can be mixed many ways but don’t get carried away and try to cram in too much. While this type of workout would be hard for science to test due to having too many variables to control, real world experience with athletes has shown this type of workout builds a lot of speed, work capacity and endurance. For anyone who is time limited this approach can knock off a bunch of objectives in a single session. As well it is much more fun than 3-4 hours of steady aerobic riding.

Block Training

This is link together multiple days of heavy workload be they large volume or high intensity. I find they work best with the longest day first and then progressively work to shorter high intensity intervals over a 3-4 day block. After the block take an easy day, then a rest day and finally another easy day before doing another heavy block. Vary the recovery as needed to be fresh for the next block.

An example of how to set up a block would be:

Day 1 – 3-5 hour Steady ride with some hills (Aerobic and Tempo pace)
Day 2 – 2-3 X 20 minute Threshold repeats
Day 3 – 30 Velmax intervals – 30 seconds Hard (135 % Threshold Power) / 30 seconds easy
Day 4 – 45 minutes recovery pace
Day 5 – Day Off
Day 6 – 60 min Aerobic pace

Depletion Rides

For many cyclists, they reach a point where it isn’t the engine that limits performance but the gas tank. Their body can’t supply energy fast enough to keep up with the pace they are fit enough to ride at. At a certain point the legs just stop working. Many people assume this is lack of endurance but it is usually that you have just run out of fuel at a muscular level. To improve this you need the body to store more carbohydrate and burn more fat during exercise, sparing muscle glycogen.

This is where the Depletion Ride comes in. With nothing other than water and electrolytes go on long rides with at least the first 60 minutes aerobic. After that you can pick up the pace. You want these rides to be at least 2 hours but we often go 3-4 hours. Carry some gels in case your legs completely run out so you have the fuel to make it home. Don’t use them unless you have to. Long rides without carbs force the body to tap into stored fat as a fuel source and you will increase your glycogen stores in the meals after them ride. Only do 1-2 Depletion Rides per week for 4-6 weeks.

Overview

Integrate these techniques into your training wisely and you will see results. Experiment to find the right workload and keep at it. The best gains come over time. Build on past success to reach new heights of performance and put the hurt on your competitors and riding buddies.

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By Winston Endall

While we do lots of things, my favorite is building and fitting custom bikes. From figuring out the best fitting frame geometry to helping people choose the right mix of parts to build their dream bike, it is a lot of fun and let’s me exercise my creative side. Depending on what you want your bike to be good at a good shop can probably show you options you didn’t even know about. And depending on the shop, you don’t have to pay a huge premium to get a bike built to suit you.

We’ve been getting a ton of riders ordering custom builds lately. Partly it’s because they want a bike that fits and partly because they want a bike that is unlike anything you see out on the local group rides or trails. Off the shelf bikes are fine, but having one where the frame and all the parts are to your fit and preference is the recipe for a bike you will love to ride.

Here’s how my thought process works when we are building you a custom bike.

- From your measurements I’m able to figure the frame geometry that will best suit you. We have steel, carbon and aluminum frames available in many styles. Road, mountain, cyclocross, triathlon, touring, fixed gear etc. As well, your measurements will tell me the sizes of parts like crank, stem, handlebars and seatpost to get you in the right ballpark fit-wise.

- Your size, preferences and riding style will guide me in choosing how to build your custom wheels. The choice of rims, number of spokes, spoke thickness, nipple material (alloy or brass), hubs and spoking pattern all matter when it comes to wheels. If you weigh 110 lb and I build you a 36 spoke wheel with deep rims, you will find it beats you up and you get pushed around in cross winds. On the other hand, a well suited wheel set will make your bike ride better. You’ll be faster and more confident.

- What is it going to look like? Here is where we can have some fun. Rim color, nipple color, bartape color, seat color. While black is the most common, nothing says you can’t have white rims with black nipples and black & white cow print bar tape. Or how about rasta colored spoke nipples and headset? With many parts available in colors you can make you ride reflect your style.

- When it comes to building your bike, it is more than just throwing the parts on. The frame get prepped and sealed if it’s steel. Headtube and bottom bracket are faced to ensure a clean fit. Everything is lubed, assembled and tuned to achieve a smooth functioning machine. As stock bikes are mostly put together in the factory, you never know if the frame is prepped properly.

- When your bike is together we have you in for your custom fitting. Be prepared to spend a lot of time on the trainer as I go about measuring and adjusting to get your body lined up to efficiently turn the pedals. My approach to fitting is about dealing with people as individuals. We are each unique and our bikes need to set up to reflect this. The combination of a bike built with frame and parts to fit you and custom fitting to finish it off, is the recipe for fast, pain-free miles in the saddle. Okay, they may be painful but that’s cause you are hammering your riding buddies, not because your bike hurts you.

While you can buy a stock bike, you will usually have to make a number of changes to get it to fit you properly. Some of those changes the shop won’t want to cover like switching out the cranks for the right length. This all adds up price wise and need to be factored in when you are comparing the cost of a custom build to a stock bike. When your bike is built up with the right frame and parts from the beginning it ends up being priceless.

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By Winston Endall

If you’ve ever dreamed of setting off on a bike trip with all of your camping gear then you’ve been bitten by the touring bug. While you can do this on almost any bike, a specialty touring bike like the Surly long Haul Trucker (LHT) makes everything so much easier. You don’t go to the Indy 500 in a pick up truck and you would help your friend move in your 2 seater sports coupe. Bikes are the same way.

The Surly Long Haul Trucker is special purpose touring bike that will also do able duty as a commuter and grocery getter. Built from tough cromoly steel, the frame and fork are designed to take a beating. This is the kind of toughness you need if you get many miles from civilization. Quality steel is the best option for a touring bike as it has the properties of high fatigue resistance, impact resistance and great ride quality. As is the case with all Surly frames the welds are very clean and the finish is very durable. The color options aren’t fancy but that’s not what they are going for. Surly is all about function over fashion. Depending on your taste, the clean, utilitarian look is very attractive in it’s own right. The LHT is at home crossing Canada or getting lost on the back roads of a third world country.

The geometry is optimized to be a stable ride with a heavy load. Long chain stays increase stability and give you more heal clearance if you are running extra large panniers. Laid back geometry and a long headtube create a fit that is comfortable for all day riding, day after day. There is a lot of tire clearance so you can bigger tires for more grip and comfort if you are on rough dirt roads and trails. It has cantilever mounts so you can run either cantilever brakes or v-brakes but be sure to mate the brake with the right brake lever.

Beyond the geometry and construction, what makes the Long Haul Trucker stand out is the details:

• It’s has front and rear braze-ons for racks and fenders.
• 3 Water bottle cage mounts.
• Beefy drop-outs to resist wheel twist and bent derailleur hangers.
• Standard sizing for all parts such as seatpost, bottom bracket and headset.
• A spare spoke holder on the non-drive side chainstay.
• Studs on the frame so you can run downtube shifters, barcons or integrated shifter brake levers.

When it comes to the actual ride, the Long Haul Trucker likes to hold a straight line. It turns when you want it to but it doesn’t require a lot of attention to keep it tracking straight. You would think it would be hard to handle a bike with 60 lbs of gear on it but the LHT handles beautifully full loaded. The ride quality is very smooth even over the roughest road. But on the downside, this stability comes at a price. Even unloaded, this isn’t a fast bike. It wasn’t designed to be but if you hop on it after riding your road bike it will feel like a bus. It covers the miles efficiently enough but doesn’t feel fast.

My only complaint about the Long Haul Trucker is the lack of disc brake option. While not something you would want when touring in less developed countries due to the availability of parts it would be a nice option for touring in North America and Europe.

The Surly Long Haul Trucker is available as a complete bike or frameset to be built how ever you like. All sizes are now available with 26″ wheel option. 56 cm frames and above are also available to fit 700c wheels. The option for matching wheel sizes at different frame sizes is of appeal to people like a married couples for touring together. While the frame sizes may be different, having the same wheel size means you only have to carry one sized inner tube or spare tire.

If you want a great performing touring bike at a reasonable price, the Surly Long Haul Trucker is one of the best options. Built from the ground up for the job, the LHT is a beast of burden that won’t let you down.

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