Work Stands 2

My other post is getting a bit difficult to read due to length. So I decided to start another post. So another option that was eliminated even before I started writing the initial post is the option of simply using a bicycle stand. It'll be identical to leaning your bicycle on a random wall. But, the chance of ruining your bicycle's paint job is slimmer due to the wheels taking the force. Anyway, expanding on the bicycle stand, wouldn't a bicycle trainer be even better? Think about it. A bicycle trainer will do what a bicycle stand can do and it'll allow you to train during rainy days or even through the winter.

But the bicycle trainer doesn't have an important feature for most mechanics. It won't life the bicycle off the ground to an easy working height... I should come up with a table that shows all the advantage and disadvantages of each style of stand -- wall/bench mounted, shop stand, home work stand, bottom bracket shell work stand, bicycle stand, and bicycle trainer.

	Bench/Wall	Shop	Home	BB (Race)	Trainer/Stand
seat post clamp	yes	yes	yes	no	no
portable	no	no	yes	yes	yes
height adjustable	no	yes	yes	yes	no

Google Maps

So I tried forcing Google to plan out Paradise Loop for me. It took me like an hour but here is the result.

Cycling Books

Base Building for Cyclists by Thomas Chapple (ordered from Amazon on August 2nd, 2012)

The Cyclist's Training Bible by Joe Friel

Flat Tire Repair

How to Use CO2 for Cycling -- A Beginner's Guide contains a link to why CO2 inflated tubes flatten faster than air inflated tubes. Also includes a great tip on inflating the tube initially by using your mouth and not your inflator+CO2.

Look at it here.

Cycling Equipment

It sucks to not have everything with you when you're riding alone in the middle of no where. If I could, I would carry a spare bike with me just so I can have spare parts for anything that breaks while I'm riding. But the point is, no one can possibly carry an extra bike with them. The only choice is to bring the stuff that will help in fixing or replacing the bicycle parts that are more likely to break.

• Tire Levers (Irons)
• Inner Tubes
• Inflator
• CO2 Cartridges
• Multi-Tool (simple)
• Modular Clothing Pieces (Arm Warmer, Leg/Knee Warmer, Vest, Rain Jacket, etc.)
• Water Bottles
• Snacks
• Drink Mixes

Cycling Wear

There have been so many times I wish I didn't have a Chrome messenger bag with me when I'm riding alone in Mt. Tamalpais State Park or even during Butter Lap. If the weather is nice such that I sweat like a pig, I really dislike having the messenger bag. What I need to do is purchase equipment such that everything is on the bike and not on me. The easiest solution would be a rear rack with panniers. But that won't look right on my racing bike. So what do others do? Majority simply have a saddle bag with most of their necessities and bottle cages with bottles, obviously. To me, it just doesn't seem like enough storage space. I need to be able to carry more. But how much more?

Adventure Cycling Association has a page on what to pack for long touring rides. This list is great if I were packing for an overnighter or longer touring. But my rides have less duration and are concentrated in the area north of the Golden Gate Bridge. One challenge I'll have to overcome is the change of weather between Sausalito and San Francisco. The weather changes drastically and the cold winds at the Bridge is often times unbearable. This leads me to the clothing aspect of cycling gear.

I believe my idea is similar to Erik's idea (Erik at Sports Basement, Presidio). He believes in taking the modular approach for clothing. I do, too. But I don't agree with his approach to the layers covering the torso. My idea is the following. Three layers should cover me -- base layer (optional), jersey layer and cover layer (optional). Base layer is an idea I've heard of but didn't make much sense to me until Erik covered it in his cycling gear lectures. Base layers help when wearing bib shorts by reducing the rubbing of the bib's strap on your nipples. I'm uncertain how comfortable a base layer will be in the hot weather of Marin. Hence, I mention it as option. The jersey layer is an obvious one. It's simply a jersey for cycling. Most cyclists knows the advantages in wearing them. The cover layer is the layer I'm still having troubles deciding on, perhaps, because I'll need more than one article of clothing worn interchangeably.

The cover layer should be worn when it's raining or windy. If it's raining, I'll need a weather/water proof rain jacket. I'll more than likely not ride on rainy days due to being a sissy. If it's windy, a vest will suffice. So what would my cycling clothing look like?

• Base Layer (opt)


• Jersey


• Arm Warmers (opt)


• Vest (opt)


• Rain Jacket/Jersey (opt)


• Bib Shorts


• Leg/Knee Warmers (opt)

Work Stands

So there appears to be several different types of bicycle work stands available on the market. Each has its own list of advantages and disadvantages. I'm trying to figure out which of them works for me. I'm simply going to use examples from Park Tool, since they seem to be dominating the market. Going to Park Tool's web site's repair stand page, they've divided repair stands into three categories: Shop Repair, Portable Repair, and Bench/Wall Mount Stands.

Shop repair stand refer to the ones bicycle shops use in their repair shop. They're probably going to be bolted to the floor and support two bikes side-by-side. These are certainly not what I'm looking for. They don't fold away, usually.



Bench/wall mounted stands can be used by both pros and amateurs that don't have much space. It doesn't take much space due to lack of the legs (tripod or otherwise) and obviously are highly unportable.



Portable repair stands refer to those that can be folded away and take up less space. It's not a permanent structure like the above two categories. You set portable repair stands up when you need them.



It's difficult to judge which fits me the most when I'm not certain what my requirements are for the repair stand. I'd like to be able to elevate the bicycle such that I will never be in a difficult, back-breaking position. But at the same time, how often will I be in such a difficult position when I'm such a newbie?

Update: 07/29/2012

I'm trying to distinguish the difference between the euro style race stands and portable repair stands. I have a suspicion that one is simply "more portable" (lighter) than the other. Let me find weights for both styles.

• PCS-9: 23.5 lbs


• PCS-10: 25.0 lbs


• PRS-20: 20.5 lbs


• PRS-21: 13.5 lbs

Looking at the weights of the two styles of repair stands, it seems the race stands have more portability for perhaps professionals at races. If this is the case, then I'm better off with the more traditional portable repair stand.

So which products should I consider? Perhaps the Park Tool's PCs-10, Topeak, and Feedback Sports?

On further reading online, they're both very different beasts and each have their own pros and cons.

Traditional Repair Stand (YouTube:PCS-9/PCS-10/Pro Elite)

• Pros
  
  
  
  • Still working on it
  
  
  
  


• Cons
  
  
  
  • Odd shaped seat tube/post may not hold
  
  
  • Undue stress on part being clamped
  
  
  
  

Bottom Bracket Repair Stand (YouTube:PRS-20/PRS-21)

• Pros
  
  
  
  • Lighter (for portability)
  
  
  • Compact (for storage)
  
  
  • Stability (tripod)
  
  
  
  


• Cons
  
  
  
  • Difficult working on both ends of the bike
  
  
  
  

Bicycle Wash

Have you ever washed your bike? I've never washed my bike. I've always been scared of water or even degreaser getting into the bottom bracket or hub.

So I went out and looked for bike washing articles and videos online. Here are a few I found:

• Belgium Knee Warmer's "The Art of the Bike Wash" Article
• Bicycling Magazine's "How to Wash Your Bike" Article
• Bicycling Magazine's "Bike Washing Tips from the Pros" Article
• Bicycling Magazine's "Bike Wash with a BMC Mechanic" Video
• Random Reply to "Bike washing Tips from the Pros" Article
• Park Tool's "Bike Washing and Cleaning" Article

Saddle Bag Contents

Cyclists have varying contents in their saddle bags. Commonality between riders are listed below.

• Tire Iron (Tire Lever)
• Inner Tube
• Patch Kit
• Multi-Tool (varying from 6 to 20 tools)
• Tire Inflator
  • Bicycle Air Pump
    OR
  • Inflator and CO2 cartridges

Some people like to carry:

• Chain Breaker

Mitch at Valencia Cyclery recommends:

• 2 Tire Iron (Tire Lever)
• 2 Inner Tube
• Patch Kit
• Inflator
• 2 CO2 Cartridges
• Multi-Tool (Simple - about 6 tools)

Profile Design Aqua Rack

So I'm still trying to figure out how to set up my bicycle for endurance rides like 60+ miles. I've recently discovered Profile Design's Aquarack sold at Sports Basement and Amazon.com. It starts as a metal ring that attaches to the bicycle seat post. The ring then extends into two metal bars that become holders for two bottle cages. Both of the two bottle cage holders have mounting brackets for CO2 cartridges. In summary, the device allows carrying of two CO2 cartridges and two water bottles.

What does this mean? If I go with the threaded CO2 system, I'll just have to carry two inner tubes, two tire levers, an inflator, and a patch kit in the saddle bag, freeing up the space occupied by the two cartridges. It also implies, I won't have to carry a bag for the extra bottles.

The down side is the inconvenience of removing the contraption when I'm riding in the city. There's no need for two extra bottles. That means, I'll want to take off the device since it weighs so much and doesn't look too cool when it's empty. Will I have to take off the seat post everytime? Yes.

Here's a link to another wordpress site that shows competing mounting systems and lists other options for carrying extra bottles.

Garmin Edge 200

So I finally broke down and purchased a Garmin Edge 200. Technically, I broke down couple weeks ago when I saw it on sale for 15% off at Performance Bicycle. It also comes with a $30 mail-in rebate. In the end, I'll pay less than $100 before taxes. Anyway, I picked it up from them today. Yays!

Unfortunately, I couldn't use it for Margarine Lap, tonight. I didn't have time to charge it before riding. So here I am waiting for it to charge and typing away on wordpress...

It's been 26 minutes so far and it's up to 26%. How weird. One minute equals one percent? Will a full charge of 100% be 100 minutes, which is equal to an hour and forty minutes? We'll see at 1:40am... >.<

It's 1:30am now and it's at 81%. So it's slowed down a bit. Hmm... I guess I'll be going to bed later. T.T

It's 1:40 am now and it's at 88%.

1:54 am -> 95%

2:00 -> 96%

2:08 -> 98%

2:15 -> 99%

2:28 -> 99%

2:31 -> 99% I'm not sure what's going on but I just read the manual and states, "Charge the Edge for at least three hours before you being using it." This implies I'm going to bed at 3:00am. This is very different from my initial estimate of 1:40am. No Mt. Tam for me, tomorrow.

2:40 -> Complete. I fell asleep. So it may have completed before 2:40. At 3:00, I'm going to bed. Good night! ^.^

Engine / Motor

So the engine or the motor of a bicycle is the person riding it. The engine comes in varying height and weight, as well as build. It's difficult to judge any engine. If a person has race records, that may be one way to judge his or her performance. But I only care about this engine. The one I own. What are some of the problems this engine has to overcome?

• Weight


• Smoking