Happiness is a new wheelset

[bakerjw]

Happiness is a new wheel set. Swiss R23 Spline wheels running tubeless. Adds an extra MPH to rides now.

[silencertalk]

Very nice.

I am waiting for my new wheels - Dura Ace C24 tubeless. But they are stuck in transit somewhere in Europe or NY.

I have Schwalbe 1 One tubeless tires now in 23mm, and plan to get the Pro One 25mm when they come out. They have the lowest rolling resistance of any tire. Even less than the GP4000 running latex tubes.

I have been running calculations, and at the speeds that I ride, $2000 60mm dish wheels would only add about 0.3 mph for me.




My power meter crank:



My custom-made mount for iPhone with battery-case:




Bike is what the French National team rode in the 2014 Tour de France. About 15 lbs.

[bakerjw]

showoff....


Put my Giant TCR to shame.

Great bike man.

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Thanks. I like Giant a lot.

I rode 37 miles today.

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Changing to 28mm Schwalbe Pro One tubeless tires.

[Schulze]

Actually I think the Specialized Turbo Cotton or S Works Turbo Tubeless is a little faster. It's in the latest issue of Velo magazine.

Have you gone over to Friction-facts.com and purchased their test results package?

You can save about 10 watts in your drivetrain by doing various things or purchasing the correct components. Couple more watts with 60mm carbon rims. Few more watts with an aero helmet.

It adds up.

[silencertalk]

Thanks for the lead. They test at 250 watts so I would have to scale their data.

Wide tire info:

http://www.conti-tyres.co.uk/conticycle ... e_2014.pdf

http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/10/ ... ore_195985

https://janheine.wordpress.com/2014/01/ ... -too-wide/

https://janheine.wordpress.com/2012/01/ ... ide-tires/

https://janheine.wordpress.com/2011/08/ ... row-tires/

http://cyclingtips.com.au/2014/04/tyre- ... s-roubaix/

http://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com

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Use to compare frames and wheels for drag:

http://www.cyclingpowerlab.com/Componen ... amics.aspx

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http://www.kreuzotter.de/english/espeed.htm

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Watch every wind tunnel thing from Specialized.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZnrE17Jg3I

Aside from when I started out, I used to ride in street clothes as I thought bike clothes were just a misguided attempt to look cool.

Bike clothes are so important that I even use shoe covers now.

[silencertalk]

http://tinyurl.com/oepb6yo

http://www.lillylube.com/uploads/Link_t ... rticle.pdf

Olive Oil is one of the best lubes it seems. Makes me wonder if the top oils are just repackaged Crisco vegetable oil.

[Schulze]

Thanks for the lead. They test at 250 watts so I would have to scale their data.

Wide tire info:

http://www.conti-tyres.co.uk/conticycle ... e_2014.pdf

That's useful to me because they tested the Challenge Paris Roubaix 27mm that I am riding on my chip-seal and gravel roads. It measures 31mm wide on my 17mm inner width rims. But the lip on the sides of the tire due to the open tubular design is bad for aerodynamics.

I've been contemplating going to a new tire for next spring. I think it will be the 4000SII in 28mm on the rear and 25mm on the front, or the Vittoria CX III in 25mm.

The Pro One looks enticing but I deal with sealant on my mountain bike and CX bikes and I'm not messing with it on the road, slinging it all over the place when there's a puncture.. The Slowtwitch.com sealant test found that the Bontrager and Orange Seal sealant fixed every puncture in a latex tube. I'm going to run latex tubes with sealant. I already have the Bontrager. It was only $27 otd for 32 oz.

[Schulze]

http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/10/ ... ore_195985

Shows how much he knows. The 4 Seasons is a terrible tire.

For chain lube, I've been using Squirt. It works fine but I don't ride in the rain. To simplify chain maintenance, I have three chains on KMC quick links. Since Ultegra 6800 chains are only like $25 from Merlin it's not a big expense. Every few hundred miles, I pop the chain off and drop it in a sealed solvent jar. I put the already prepared second chain on the bike. Takes like 2 minutes. Then I shake the chain in the solvent whenever I walk by it on the counter. Eventually I blow out the solvent and re lube it so it's ready to go back on. The third chain I hang in the shop to use as a measuring device. Replace at 1 percent wear, which takes forever to get there.

[silencertalk]

I bought Orange Seal for mine.

I came very close today to buying the 28mm GP4000SIIS but I figured since I paid extra for tubeless wheels that weigh more, that I may as well try tubeless.

I considered that the 28mm would have worse aero on my 20.8mm outside wheels, and reasoned that 25mm would be the best considering drag and rolling resistance, but went with the 28mm just to get the full comfort experience. I am certain that I slow down a lot on tougher roads and so I think it will help me go faster.

I would not do 25mm front and 28mm back because the best plan is to move your front tire to your back when your back wears out and then buy a new front.

[Schulze]

http://tinyurl.com/oepb6yo

http://www.lillylube.com/uploads/Link_t ... rticle.pdf

Olive Oil is one of the best lubes it seems. Makes me wonder if the top oils are just repackaged Crisco vegetable oil.

We're seeing a lot of that these days.

If I have to ride in the rain maybe I'll dip the chain in Olive Oil but wax is the best for dry climates.

White Lightning Epic Ride seems to be the clear loser. It's an epic ride because you're putting so much heat into your chain it will burn your calf.

[silencertalk]

So you remove your chain, cook it in wax, and put it back every month?

[Schulze]

That is the plan that some people say is best, but it only makes sense if you don't ride very much. The front tire dies of old age, not from wear. But if you're riding enough to go through three rear tires a season and the front will last two seasons, then that's six rear tires. I just don't how the math makes much sense. Aero matters more for the front tire, and comfort matters more for the rear, so running the narrowest on the front and the widest on the back makes more sense to me.

[silencertalk]

I just put Break Free LP (not CLP) on my chain. I wish they tested that.

I saw a comment on Slowtwitch where someone said that this was stupid, as there was only a 2 watt difference and that was not worth $15.

There is only a 4 watt difference between $200 and $2000 wheels so 2 watts for $15 is a good thing.

Even better is 2 watts using Wesson canola oil, as I already have it, except they didn't test it so i can't be sure.

[Schulze]

I don't cook it in wax. I put Squirt lube on it, it just drips on. I'm not THAT hard core.

What kills chains is cleaning it half assed and lubing it while it is still dirty. Then the dirt gets down into the rollers and wears them. But if you buy two chains and some quick links, not only is cleaning easier, but they last a long time.

[Schulze]

2 watts in ten different spots is 20 watts, so if my FTP is 300 before and 320 now, that is 4.28 w/kg vs 4.57 w/kg, the difference between a mediocre Cat 2 and a Cat 1.

At 70 kg.

[silencertalk]

I can reach mid CAT-4 on the trainer, but not on the road.

I did a sprint and hit 800 watts though.

[bakerjw]

http://tinyurl.com/oepb6yo

http://www.lillylube.com/uploads/Link_t ... rticle.pdf

Olive Oil is one of the best lubes it seems. Makes me wonder if the top oils are just repackaged Crisco vegetable oil.

I don't mind wet lubes on my mountain bike, but I pretty much stick to dry lubes like Rock and Roll gold on my road bike. Every month or so, I clean the chain in a kerosene bath and brush the links well to loosen grit, etc... After blowing it out real well, it then goes into a couple of acetone baths. When it comes out, pretty much all contaminants are flushed out of the links. They key is to get the lube back onto the links, so it gets a lube very liberally applied while running the chain through the drive train. The rear cassette as well as the entire drive chain also gets cleaned at the same time as the chain so it all looks good for a few weeks.

I've got a pair of Maxxis Detonators on the new rims and am running them tubeless. I've been running Stans fluid in them but will likely start running orange sealant at some point. They spin up a lot faster than when I've got tubes on so I am happy with them for now. Next time around I'll likely try a set of Vittorios. a while back, my son gave me a pair with some life left in them and I was impressed with them.

One of the mountain bike forums had at least on long thread on making your own sealants. One thing that many people use in their home brew concoctions is glitter of differing sizes. Since mountain bike tires tend to get larger punctures, the glitter helps fill the void better and seals faster.

[Schulze]

I've read that thread, and I make my own sealant for mountain and cyclocross use. If you look up Stans MSDS, it says right there what the ingredients are. I get the latex from Hobby Lobby, the propylene glycol from an auto parts store, the water from my reverse osmosis system, and injectors from syringes at Tractor Supply. It is much cheaper than Stans.

I tried the chunkulation ingredients like glitter or artificial turf, but I think the plain stuff works fine for small holes, which is all I ever get on those bikes with their thick tires.

I bought commercial sealant for the road because I think the high pressures and limited air volume are less forgiving, plus you don't need that much so 32oz lasts forever.

[Schulze]

bakerjw, I agree with your order of operations on chain maint up until you lubed the chain on the bike. If you lube it on the bike, the lube gets distributed to your chainrings, cogs, and pulley wheels so they become a dirt magnet. The only place lube is needed is inside the chain. If you lube off the bike, then wipe off the outside, then install the chain, then everything stays relatively dry.

[silencertalk]

Do you use a quick link on the chain or put in a new rivet each time with a chain breaker tool?