 This is sometimes a tough one for those of us who have been in the sport, particularly road riding and racing, for a long time:
Fact: Lower pressure (to a point) is often faster than rock solid. I started road riding and racing on 21's and 23's, and I'm sure some of the readers were on 19's. I can remember seeking out 23c Vredstein tires because even with a tube, they could be pumped up to 140 psi, as opposed to many other's topping out at 125 pounds per square inch (psi). During a stage race a couple decades ago, a friend let me borrow his disc wheel with a tubular. He said, "just check the tire pressure. " I replied, "How much? Like 125, 130?" He simply laughed and said "Not quite. Pump that sucker up to 180." One hundred eighty psi on a disc wheel with my aluminum bike! To say it was a bit of a harsh ride is an understatement. I don't fault my friend. At that time, it was readily accepted that harder was faster. While it's been accepted in the off-road world, particularly in 'cross, that lower and very specific tire pressure provides SIGNIFICANT advantages, the road world has been a little slower to adopt this mindset. This Fasttalk podcast with the master himself, Lennard Zinn, does a great job of explaining the concept of psi and how tire size, road/trail surface, rider mass, rider style, and other important factors need to be considered. https://www.fasttalklabs.com/fast-talk/lennard-zinn-and-the-art-of-tire-pressure/ And here is a great tool to help you get a starting point: https://silca.cc/pages/sppc-form So I encourage you to experiment from that starting point and find out what works for you. Things to consider are the whole "system" weight. Will you be wearing a hydration pack? Packs on your bike? What's in your pockets? For cold winter days, even the weight of clothing can add up. Take notes as you go along and make sure you record the conditions. For example, was it wet and slick or dry and dusty? What was the terrain like? How about the road/trail surfaces? All this can help you get dialed in and make informed decisions. I know I need to continue to progress from my stock "x psi in the front, and y psi in the rear." Remember: safety first! Until next time, bust out that floor pump, get an accurate gauge, and maybe a little lower is actually faster! https://www.bjlcoaching.com/bls-blog/august-9-tip-of-the-week Cheers, Coach Brian
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Will you be happy with your future self? Picture this…you just rolled back into your driveway from a multi-hour winter base training ride. It’s cold, you’re cold, you’re tired and hungry, and you just want to get out of your cycling clothes and get some good food and warm up. You glance at your bike as you park it in your stable and see it’s a mess.
“It’s OK,” you think, “I’ll clean that later.” And then you get busy or just conveniently forget until…the next time you go for a ride and it’s a mess or worse and not even rideable. So you just lube the chain and deal with the extra wear and tear, until that next time. And the cycle repeats. Or maybe it’s the pile of cycling clothing that’s growing, or the water bottles that are a mess both on the inside and outside. Or your head unit showed that your power meter battery was low and “you’ll change it later.” Or that tire with a slow leak. Or that head unit that needs to be charged. Or countless other little things that may provide a barrier and time delay to you starting your next ride. I write about these through personal experience. I’ve struggled with all of these things and more, and been frustrated with myself when I go out for my next ride. Although as I “grew up” and got busier, I did improve in this domain but it’s far from 100%. I recently heard a great suggestion that really resonated with me to help us all make better decisions when it comes to these little tasks. Ask yourself the question, “Will my future self be happy with my current decision?” I like to take it just a step further and ask: “Will my future self be PSYCHED with my decision?” The busier I get, the more important taking care of these post ride chores becomes, and the more psyched I am when I take that extra step. It might even mean, gasp, ending my ride 5 minutes early to fit it in, but it saves a whole bunch of self-aggravation later. I bucket this together with also being proactive, such as setting out my clothes for that early morning training, or getting my bottles prepped hours before my ride when I have 5 “extra” minutes. These are definitely decisions that my future self is psyched about. I know many of you may have all of your cycling and life tasks wired, and I admire that and aspire to that. If not and you’ve have experiences like me, set yourself up for success with those little less-than-fun chores. Especially at those times when they’re least enjoyable. I’m off to get ahead on my laundry and prep my bottles for tomorrow’s ride. And my future self is going to be psyched. Word. Coach Brian  Three quick tips about seat posts today.
1. After a proper bike fit at a bike shop, mark your seat post height with some tape This can be done very discreetly with some black tape wrapped carefully around the seat post where it meets the collar. The tape can let you know if it has slipped down at all and you can fix it. I've also found it helpful for making a small adjustment when out on the road or trail as you can see how much you moved it. I recommend everyone check out tip two, and if you're against the tape, definitely check out number two. 2. Measure your saddle height from the collar to the rail along one side of the seat post. This obviously only works on the same frame, post, and saddle, but by measuring from the collar to the rail right along the post, you can come pretty close to replicating the measurement should there be a slip. Make sure you always go on the same side of the rail (front or back) and the same place on the rail (top or bottom) This is helpful when you do tip three and want to get your saddle back to the same height. This is also helpful when shipping or flying with your bike. Put this number in your phone and you're good to go. I keep this number along with a little note about the bike, front or back of the post, and to what part of the rail. Just make sure you not which bike is which. As a side note, another good measurement to put your phone is from the center of the bottom bracket (crank bolt) to the top of the saddle. You have to "eye" it across, but you can't get close. This gives you a good starting point when going from bike to bike, renting a bike, or riding a gym bike when your bike isn't available to you. 3. Keep that seat post from seizing in the seat tube! If you've ever dealt with a stuck seat post, you know it can be a nightmare. I had an aluminum post stuck in a steel frame. Thanks to Sheldon Brown and his tip of using ammonia to break that bond, I was able to get it free. But not without a fair amount of consternation. Some materials are more likely to have this occur, but no matter what, addressing this ahead of time is wise. If you're mechanically inclined and have the proper tools including a torque wrench, then probably twice a year I recommend taking your seat post out and cleaning it off if necessary. Then re-apply some sort of product to keep it from developing a chemical bond, which may double as an anti-slip agent. You can research this yourself and talk to your local bike shop. If you ride through a winter mess of wetness and road salt and/or lots of mud and rain, you may need to perform this operation more frequently. Have any tips or questions about seat posts and such? Leave them in the comments below. Keep on riding! Coach Brian  One tip, one tool, and one resource this week.
What's the contact point between your bike and the ground? Tires, of course. I figured I'd stick on this most important topic for one more week. One very simple tip this week, and it's something that almost everyone does unless someone else does it for you: Check your tire pressure. Are you diligent and check it before every ride? Or do you do the old tire squeeze and "yeah, that feels good" that I've been guilty of when in a rush or feeling lazy. To cut to the chase: 1) Check your tire pressure before every ride. Maybe mid ride with extreme elevation or temperature changes. 2) Carry a small pressure gauge with you when traveling without your pump so you're using a reliable tool and not the gauge on an unfamiliar pump. I've used the digital ones, but about 5 years ago I bought three analog types like this one to the right: I bought one that goes to 15 psi, one to 60, and one to 120, for fat bike, 'cross and MTB, and road, respectively. Some gauges don't start reading until 15 psi or even higher, and the little fine tuning button is great. Presta compatible and ready to go. 3) Check out this site: Silca Tire Pressure Calculator https://silca.cc/pages/sppc-form for a cool tire pressure calculator. It will at least give you a great place to start. Remember that with 'cross tires, even 0.5 psi can make a big difference, and mountain bike tires could be 1 psi that really changes your ride. On to my musings... I was installing some new tires on my road wheels that I use for training this past weekend, and it got me thinking back to 2001 when I participated in the Tour of Colorado with three buddies. As a side note, it was one of the most amazing experiences I had on a bicycle. Three days of riding, one rest day where we went rafting on the Colorado River, and then three more days of riding. Huge mountain passes, 60+ MPH descents, and great company. The icing on the cake was that we were raising money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation (whatever you may think of the man, the foundation does some amazing things) and ended up being able to make a sizable donation. There was around 1300 people in the event, and over the course of the days, we were able to chat with many of them. One thing we heard over and over again was about all the flats folks were getting. We also so them on the side of the road making repairs. There was rough pavement, cattle guards, some dirt and gravel sections, and many miles. Between the four of us, we had (knock wood) zero flats. One thing we were very diligent about was checking out tire pressure EVERY SINGLE MORNING. Didn't matter how early or late the roll out, we were hitting the neutral support pump. And there was never a line to get to the pump. Did that save us 100%? Probably not, but it certainly helped to avoid pinch flats over the rough terrain. In those conditions with the extreme elevation changes, the pressure can be drastically effected especially in a low volume road tire. The temperature will impact it too, of course, as well as just slow leakage. I was listening to a podcast where a very experienced mountain biker was doing some epic rides in the mountains with some climbs going up several thousand feet. Before the gnarly descents, he would check tire pressure to set himself up for success. Tire pressure is super important to help keep you rolling, but also improve your ride both for comfort and performance. I'll be doing a post in the near future referencing Leonard Zinn and great information that was certainly eye opening for me. Until then, check that pressure every ride. And go ride! Enjoy, Coach Brian  Directional Tires? Which way do they go?Over my many years in the sport, I've gone through countless tires on the road, trails, and 'cross courses. You may have noticed that some tires are "directional", meaning there's a suggested way to mount them so they're facing "forward." Some tires have one direction for the front and the reverse for the rear. I've found that directional tires are more common with mountain bike, 'cross, and gravel tires. Basically tires with more of a knobby tread. Now, you're probably thinking, "duh, just find the directional arrow", shown in the green oval above. Absolutely, and you should probably always confirm. However, finding that word and arrow on the tire is not always easy, and if you're in a hurry or your tire is super dirty, it can be tricky, I've also spotted it, then laid the tire down, and lost it again. It can be a bit of a pain. What I noticed was a real easy way to visually figure out which way the tires go. Tires will often have different printing on each side of the sidewalls. On one side you get the model, etc. (red) and the brand (red). See pic below.   Then on the other side, there is only the brand (blue). See pic above.
I noticed that the correct direction to mount the tire is with the side with the model AND the brand on the drive side of your bike. And, if the model of tire you're running is mounted one direction for the front and the opposite direction for the rear, it's always the front that will have the model and brand on the drive side, and then the rear will have the model and brand on the non-drive side. I know, genius, right? Not quite but can be handy. Side note: I was taught at an early age to always mount my tire with the model label centered on the valve stem. This is very useful if you're running tubes and want to find the associated place on your tire where a puncture occurred (in case there's debris in your tire casing). This also makes it very fast to local the valve stem if you need to quickly add or remove air during a race. Hopefully you get all dialed before the event begins and don't have any issues, but sometimes it happens. One exception is the tire that prints the brand and model on both sides. Then you need to look for that arrow. Sometimes you may choose to run a tire an opposite direction on the rear for "more traction." I've certainly done this, and I believe it does work for some tread patterns. But I've also stopped to think about the fact that these tire engineers are looking to make the best tire possible, so the company would probably suggest that if it were the case? I'm not sure, but don't be afraid to experiment. Just don't experiment for your big event or race. I have yet to find a tire to prove this theory (single printing) wrong, but I'd love to hear about one if you've found it. Or any other tire tips you have. Leave a comment below. Cheers, Coach Brian  Be prepared. That's a great motto to follow, and being an Eagle Scout myself, one I try to embody. This is especially true when it comes to riding and racing. One of my greatest motivators is simply that I don't want to have to end my ride or race early. We all have finite training time and I personally don't want to squander that time away with an issue that could be fixed. Additionally, I don't want to have to make that call for help or beckon a mini-van Uber.
For riding, I have some essentials that I carry in an old patch kit box. The idea of using an old patch kit box was passed onto me many, many years ago. I'm thinking it was my friend and teammate Matt Yarnis who had been in the sport for a few years before I had the pleasure of meeting him. He had quite a few good tricks and tips. I know some of my fellow masters riders will recognize the distinctive green color of the box pictured. In my little patch kit box, I'll keep money, a patch kit (I know...who does that anymore?), self-stick patches, a valve extender for deep dish rims, a Presta to Schrader adapter, and a quick link (make sure it's for the correct number of gears). I used to keep change in there, but not too many vending machines are less than a dollar now. The ring you see is a rubber band that comes wrapped around a new tube. I use it to keep the box closed, although I'm probably due for a new box. The money is good for those gas station stops that have a minimum for credit card purchases, but also good for a tire boot. You might be thinking, "who uses tubes anymore, let alone patch them?" Well, if you want to keep your ride rolling, it's worth it. And it's nice to have that extra security after you've installed your spare tube and now have 20 miles to ride home with no spare. Do be careful if you are attempting to use some sort of compressed air to fill up your tube with the Presta to Schrader adapter. With the volume of air that comes out it's very easy to blow off your tire and and can be extremely dangerous. For me the adapter just gives me another option when someone offers you a floor pump that is not designed for Schrader. True story: I was changing a flat in 40 degree rain and someone actually came out of their house and brought me a floor pump. Really sped things up! I find it super handy to be able to grab this little box each and every time I ride. No, I don't carry it with me when I race, but the same kit goes with me for road, gravel, mountain bike, whatever. This little box along with my multi-tool goes in one pocket, and my tube, levers, and inflation are in another pocket. I know there are fancier solutions out there, but it's light, easy, and has worked for years. What do you use to carry your stash? Leave a comment below. Until next time, Be Prepared! Coach Brian There's not many people who have ridden a bike, from the youngest kid on their first bike to the most seasoned veteran, who hasn't dealt with a dirty, greasy, and possible noisy chain. Although some bike builders have experimented with a belt drive (quiet, clean, no lube required, lasts a long time but requires an internally geared hub to have gears), the chain drive bicycle is obviously far more common.
I've certainly gotten less fastidious with my chain care over the years compared to my bachelor days, but I will run it through my chain cleaner and scrub it the best I can before a race or "when it looks like it needs it." While deep down I have always known this, there's more research showing that this is not a great approach and that I probably should be paying a bit more attention to my drivetrain. One of my wonderful clients, Eric, keyed me into this podcast by Dave Schell: https://www.kaizenendurance.coach/podcast/episode/4c33eee0/chain-lube-myth-busting-with-adam-kerin-of-zero-friction-cycling You may know Dave from his TrainingPeaks Podcasts as well. And I also came across this one from Dylan Johnson: https://youtu.be/Z8Hoi3Fs3Qc That really drives the point home. Eric is always willing to try new things and experiment, and went ahead and ordered a pre-waxed chain. Instead of me telling his story, he offered up to be the guest blogger for the week. Here's his tale: Wax It If You Got It The thought of chain wax seemed like more work than it was worth. Would the potential for less friction during a ride and less wear on parts be worth the deep cleaning of the chains, bathing them in hot wax, and the ongoing maintenance? I was not sold as it sounded like margin gains for a lot of effort, but I kept hearing it is clean; really really clean. I live in a condo and reducing the risk of smearing grease and grime had me intrigued because I seem to have this natural ability to get chain grease on stuff. My existing chain was near the end of its life so I ordered a pre waxed chain (see link below) to avoid the initial setup steps of cleaning a brand new chain. I removed the old chain and before installing the new pre-waxed chain I cleaned off my cassette and chain rings with some Muk Off degreaser. The waxed chain exceeded my expectations. A quick wipe with Xtri Bike Wipes post ride and it was like new. A few weeks of riding and the chain was still surprisingly clean. To extend the time between re-waxing I apply some Slica super secret (link below) which is wax based and a good for touch ups between full waxing. After month of riding I took the chain off and did my first waxing in the small crock pot I bought from amazon. I would likely get the slightly larger one but this still works fine: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004P2LEE0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 The longest part of the waxing process was stringing the chain on the swisher which I bought with my wax but an old spoke or hanger can be bent into one. Once the chain is on the swisher, you then just put the chain on top of the wax and turn the pot to low. An hour later the chain was ready. Just swish it around and take it out to dry. I hung it dry overnight and put it back on the bike after loosening it little. I leave the wax in pot so it ready for the next chain as you can reuse it for a while before refreshing the wax, which is great for saving on wax and excellent for being lazy. At this point I am a full wax convert, so for my new bike I took the next step and cleaned the new factory waxed chain using a few baths in mineral spirits and a final clean in denatured alcohol. https://moltenspeedwax.com/pages/clean-your-chain and/or Zero Friction https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3CxiZqItGw I found cleaning a new chain easier than I thought. Note: a used chain is much harder to fully clean due to build up (or so I hear). I am not sure if it makes me any faster (BJL Coaching does that for me anyway), but the ride is smooth, the chain stays clean, and components will longer. Eric A. For those interested here are some links I found useful: Zero Friction is the best site I found for all things wax and chain lube. https://zerofrictioncycling.com.au They also have a YouTube channel and episode 4 cover waxing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IptWWQP_MdA&t=32s YBN pre waxed Chain and master links: https://moltenspeedwax.com/collections/ybn-chains Molton Speed Wax https://moltenspeedwax.com/collections/molten-speed-wax Swisher Tool and chain pliers https://moltenspeedwax.com/collections/tools-miscellaneous Micro Fiber Towels: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BR5CY3D/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1 Super Silca waxed based chain lube for quick touch ups: https://silca.cc/products/silca-super-secret-chain-lube Back to B.L. Eric and I pre-ride a mountain bike course in dry but dusty conditions just this past weekend. I was showing him the loop so he was behind me most of the time riding through my dust. We got done with the 6 mile loop and I looked at his chain...SHINY. And then he said, "watch this," and ran his fingers on the chain. No grease at all. So this is all very intriguing to me. At the very least, I'll do a better job keeping my chain clean and using some high quality lube. But maybe I'll but out that old crock pot and go for the full wax! Thanks again, Eric! Cheers, Coach Brian  What can you get for a dollar these days? Not much, but it can save your ride if you tear your tire.
If you've been in the sport long enough, you've probably been on a ride where you or someone else gets a slice in their tire. Even if they're running tubeless with sealant, sometimes it's too large to get sealed. And while the tubeless tire plugs are awesome, sometimes it's not pluggable, too. Time to put in a new tube, but first we must bandage up that cut. Commonly known as a "tire boot", the idea is to take something and line the inside of the tire where the gash is located so that the fresh tube isn't exposed to the road or trail, which would inevitably lead to another burst tube. Many decades ago I had read in some cycling magazine about using a dollar (or any paper money) to act as a tire boot. While you can also use bar or gel wrappers, duct tape, or bits of trash you find on the side of the road (I actually did this with a buddy a long time ago), a bill works great. There are also official tire boots you can purchase, which are certainly not a bad idea to have in your pack. But if you don't, chances are you have a couple of dollars stashed in your tool kit or seat pack for those emergency stops at the gas station that doesn't take credit cards for purchases less than $10. And if you don't have some bills in there, make that happen. After you have access to the inside of the tire and the old tube (if applicable) has been removed AND you've swept the inside of the tire to make sure there's not other sharp debris in there, it's time to put in the boot. I've read about wrapping the bill around the tube, but I've always just lined the tire where the gash is located. I will usually fold it so it's at least two-ply for more protection. Making sure the boot doesn't move while installing the new tube, I carefully then reinstall the tire completely. Look to see that you haven't pinched then tube by squeezing the bead together inside the rim (you shouldn't see any tube sticking out) and then CAREFULLY and SLOWLY re-inflate your tire to 20-30 psi. Take a look to insure the tube isn't poking out of the cut and then re-inflate to riding pressure, reinstall your wheel, check your brakes, and you're off! I've had to use tire boots more than once, and it's always interesting to me what they look like when you pull them out. Yes, remove and discard the tire as riding with a cut in your tire, even booted, is not a great way to continue and can be dangerous.. I remember using a five dollar bill once and I had many miles to go. When I removed it after the ride, it was super compressed and really smooth from being jammed in there with the 120 psi we used to run back in the day. The five bucks went back in my pack and I was ready for the next adventure! Have any tips or tricks? Shoot me an e-mail or leave a comment below. Keep on riding! Coach Brian I am excited to be a part of TechXpo 2017 at Cycle Craft in Parsippany, New Jersey! Saturday, February 25, 2017 from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. There's an amazing slate of vendors on tap, and each one will be doing a short presentation. Want to learn more about how a cycling coach can help you reach your fitness and cycling goals? Want a better understanding of what it means to work with a cycling coach? I will be presenting at 2:30 pm discussing what BJL Coaching can offer to you and will be available to answer your questions and talk individually at my "booth" from 12:30 pm until 5:00 pm. The day is FREE, but please register here. Hope to see you there! Coach Brian GET YOUR LEARN ON WITH NEW TECHNOLOGY IN THE BIKE WORLD Cycle Craft is hosting a customer appreciation event Saturday, Feb 25th at our Parsippany store. TechXpo will be operating throughout normal business hours: 10:00am - 6:00pm. Demonstrations, however, start at 10:30am. Join us and learn about the items captioned below in addition to several other exciting topics. Visit www.cyclecraft.com for additional details. Click to Register for FREE here! TechXpo HIGHLIGHTS
Also Featuring Refreshments Advanced Fit Giveaway  Here's part 2 to Kevin E.'s great write-up on power meters. This entry give you some great models to investigate.
If you have any questions, you can certainly give me a shout at: [email protected] Like I wrote, with experience using power since 2009, I feel very comfortable with the subject and can help you out, or direct you to where you can get further assistance. But remember, a power meter without a training plan and hard work is just a fancy upgrade that costs a fair bit of dough. Here's the link: You Have the Power, Part II Enjoy! - Coach B.L. |
AuthorCoach B.L. is the head coach at BJL Coaching and an avid racer and cycling enthusiast himself. Categories
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