Blazing Saddle!

How would this be on downhill hairpins?

How to remove grass from Velcro

One of the frustrations of cycling on freshly cut grass is the mess the clippings make. Drivetrain and shoes get completely clogged up, especially when it's wet. A huge hassle to clean up later. Even after washing it off shoes, it remains ingrained, stuck in the hooky parts of Velcro straps. To see what I mean, look at the shoe on the left below:

A nice way to remove this grass and vegetation is to brush it out with another piece of Velcro. Use the hooky side of another piece. You can see this "brush" in the photo above: it's the white Velcro sticky dot between the shoes. It works really well, the hooks get right in there, and doesn't really damage the strap as long as you're gentle. The grass on the strap on the right hand shoe has been cleaned using this method, the one on the left is still to be done.

A useful tip I hope.

Round 2 Wessex Cyclocross League - Swindon at Lydiard Park

Driving along the motorway, the rain was continuous, road spray kicking up, spoiling the view. On the course, it was brollies and wellies - I had neither :(. The signing-on tent seemed like the best place to be!

As the rain poured, the wet course got wetter. Even corners on the grass became slippery. The track in the woods quickly became a mud skating rink, littered with banana skin tree roots! The slimy mud ramps and banks were lethal. Having learned my lesson the hard way, I decided that the safest way up them was on foot!

The grass had been cut recently and clippings compressed into the drive train, clogging up shoe cleats. Quite a few riders had to stop with mechanicals. Personally, my drive train survived, but occasionally my rear gear slipped, probably because of all the organic matter clagged to it. With so much stuff going on to "maintain one's interest", the bell came quickly. Yes, I was relieved to hear that sound. Both pedals jammed by sticky mud and shoes clogged with grass, clipping in was challenging sometimes, especially after the barriers on the last lap.

One of the race organisers afterwards was telling me that riders had broken mechs, and he seemed to think they were mostly Campagnolo 10 (and 11?) speed. I was happy to be running the wider chain and perhaps more rugged Shimano 9 speed.

What a mess to clean up! Body, bikes, shoes, clothes, car....miserable. But somehow, glad to be one of those nutters riding around a wet field in the cold and rain.

Tyre Fitting: Tread Direction for off road MTB and cyclocross

Which way round should tyres be mounted for off road use and cyclocross racing? I'm fully aware that some manufacturers have rotation arrows on sidewalls and information on websites and in brochures. However, manufacturer's instructions are inconsistent on the subject, as I'll demonstrate below. And then I'll give my views on the answer!

WHAT DO MANUFACTURERS SAY ABOUT ROTATION DIRECTION?

Off road tyres often have a directional tread. Here is a photo of Michelin Mud2.

The knobs form roughly a V shaped chevron or arrow pointing upwards in the photo above. They are marked on their sidewalls with rotation arrows reading "front" and "rear." Michelin's website says:

"Why a particular direction for fitting?

The direction in which a tyre is fitted will enable the user to optimize the performance of the tyres in terms of braking and traction.

In general, the front tyre is more involved in braking while the rear tyre gives maximum traction.

The rolling direction is marked directly on the tyre by an arrow.

The tyres are also marked “Front” and “Rear”."

Is Chuck satisfied with that? No way! In contrast, this is what the Clement tyres website says:

"Q: Which direction should I install the PDX cyclocross tires?

A: We prefer to install the PDX (and most tires) so the arrow-shaped knobs in the center of the tire face forward when viewed from the top. This is true for both front and rear tires. Some riders may install them differently to get different traction characteristics and that’s perfectly OK!"

The arrows on the side of the Vittoria XG Pro (below) are marked "speed" and "traction".

 The Vittoria website says: 

"Is there a mounting direction for my tire?

Mounting direction is shown by a little arrow engraved onto tire sidewall. In the case it is not visible for any reason, do follow the tread pattern design: if it design an arrow, that has to run forward, otherwiese if the tread pattern itself is specular the tire can be mounted either way."

The Vittoria XG Pro have a similar tread pattern to the Challenge Grifos below:

This is what the Challenge website has to say about it:

"The GRIFO is a very special tread pattern which can be used in both directions!
If you point the arrow < < < of the tread forward the tire is faster having low rolling resistance. 
If you turn the tire around with the arrow pointing backwards > > > the tire has much more grip. In this case it is not as fast because there is an increase in rolling resistance. 
It really depends on the type of course you have. So you can actually find your perfect setup according to the course and your style if riding.
The front tire in most cases is kept with the arrow forward, but in a few occasions can also perform better the other way.. 
The rear tire is usually more suitable to switch directions.
 
Have fun trying !"

MANUFACTURERS ARE INCONSISTENT!

So, summing up the above, Challenge and Michelin seem to be saying that this is usually better (viewed from above):

<<<<<< front <<<<<<< ==========BB========>>>>>>>>  rear  >>>>>>>

Whereas Clement and Vittoria seem to be saying that this is usually better (again, viewed from above):

<<<<<< front <<<<<<< ==========BB========<<<<<<<  rear  <<<<<<<

Faced with this, the thorny issue here is about the orientation of the rear tyre tread. I say there's no issue with the front tyre, because every elite MTB or cyclocross bike I've seen has had the front tyre oriented so that looking from above, the chevron/arrow in the tread points forwards and this has always been consistent with the manufacturers recommendations that I've seen.

WHICH WAY IS BETTER?

As to the rear tyre, I've looked at hundreds of photos of elite riders' MTB and Cyclocross bikes on t'net. This includes a number of ex world champions and national champions (eg Stybar, Wyman, Field, Nys). I found the following:

Out of nearly two dozen bikes of elite riders, only one had the rear tyre oriented so that the chevron/arrow points backwards when viewed from the above. The one exception was Tim Johnson's MTB bike (he's more known for CX) on which he had the rear tyre (a Schwalbe Rocket Ron) the other way, with arrow pointing back when viewed from above. The vast majority of bikes had the Vs pointing forwards on both tyres when viewed from above. This included some fitted with Michelin Mud2s, which as I explained  have arrows on them indicating that the rear and front should point in opposite directions. In other words, the riders do not follow the manufacturer's arrows!

I would rate the empirical evidence and practices of world and national CX and MTB champions very highly - presumably they've done enough qualitative testing and timing to form a considered view. 

I run Michelin Mud2 on my CX bike and I've tried them in both configurations. To me the one with the V on each tyre pointing forwards (as viewed from above) works best. Why should this be? Well it could be a placebo effect - that I'm gaining some positive vibes by simply doing what the pros do! 

On the other hand, perhaps there is another reason. Going downhill across a slope, making an off-camber turn, is one of the more risky manoeuvres in cyclocross. The bike can wash out sideways very quickly on a greasy surface. Let's examine that situation a bit more. One is rarely driving the rear wheel hard and may even be braking a bit, front and rear. The diagram below shows the angle of the chevrons as they contact the ground. The green arrows indicate the direction of the slope. In each example A and B, the tyre is rolling from right to left. In other words, not straight downhill, but slightly across the slope. The red oval shows the contact patch schematically. I've put it on the uphill side, because that is the part of the tyre that contacts the ground in this situation. You could imagine the grey chevrons as tyre prints in the mud. Think of the arms of each chevron on the tyre as little skis! In example A, the tyre is mounted with the Vs pointing backwards as the bike is viewed from above. You can see that the uphill arm of the chevron - in the contact patch - is almost parallel with the slope. It is likely to slip easily just like a ski pointing downhill. In example B, the tyre is mounted in the conventional way for a front wheel - that is, Vs pointing forward when looking at the bike from above. In the contact patch, the arms of the uphill edge of the chevron are roughly perpendicular to the slope. The skis are cross-slope in like a skier digging in edges on a side slope. If you're not convinced about the ski analogy, remember that the rider may be braking. There seems to be a clear advantage of B over A, at least going downhill.

Uphill, you can use the same diagram as above but imagine the tyre rolling from left to right. A has tyres mounted with the Vs pointing forward as seen from above. However, uphill, you will be travelling slower and probably not braking. B seems better than A. I guess that's what makes a good tyre tread design - functioning well in both directions. Remember, the diagram above is very simplified - for one thing, it does not show the edge tread, or the diamonds filling out the chevron in the middle as in the Grifo and Vittoria XG Pro, both of which are bound to affect performance. 

.
CONCLUSION

So, having tyres fitted like Vittoria and Clement seem to prefer (Vs pointing forwards front and rear when viewed from above) appears more sure-footed for off-camber downhill tracks and cross-slope descents. It seems to be the more popular approach for pro riders. It's also supposed to be the faster orientation according to the tyre manufacturers. However, reversing the rear tyre could be worth a try e.g. where there are significant stretches of slippery off-camber uphill on the course.

Round 1 Wessex Cyclocross League - Oxonian at Oxford Spires Academy

Slight diversion now, as I'll be blogging about the Wessex CX League events. Round 1 took place last Saturday 15 September 2012, at Oxford Spires Academy. The course was built around playing fields on two levels. Massive queue at sign on, and the blue of Cotswold Veldrijden abounded:

The Junior/Veteran/Women's event was recalled after about 3 minutes of racing, causing the pack to emit a collective groan. The false "start" was because the leaders went the wrong way around the circuit. I daresay that better communication from the commissaires could have prevented that. 

By all accounts, there were three incident packed locations:

1. A rideable grassy bank climb going up from the pit area to the higher level playing field (shown in the distance below):

On the climb, for example, riders falling or dismounting very close to the top, meant either carnage, or an overtaking chance for those following (round about where the flag is below):

2. A fallen tree in the woods with a ramp ~10m ahead of it. The log was jauntily placed diagonally across the path. With no competitors around, you could cross the barrier, remount and ride the ramp, provided you were in the right gear. However, with other riders about, it meant carnage, or a waiting manoeuvre for those following. There was no space to get past easily on the single track. Many people were dismounting, crossing the log, and pushing/carrying the bike up the ramp before remounting. I was forced to hug a tree to prevent a mishap. Some people were smiling when they emerged from the woods: 

3. A couple of steep, grassy, off camber, downhill banks, sloping towards a chain link fence around tennis courts (sadly, I have no photos of this). Thankfully, the ground was dry, but it was also very bumpy. I dunno how my teeth didn't fall out, and I didn't fall off! Many stories of splats against the chain link fence, and even some over the bars carnage. It seemed a way to do it was to pick your line from the top and pray, and don't try to change your line half way down. Mishaps meant (you guessed it) carnage, or a "flash of life before the eyes," for those following. 

Much time spent chewing the bars was alleviated (a little) by the magnificent weather. Sunshine and not much wind. 

Note how riders can leave the ground going UP this ramp - I've heard stories of folks landing in a heap after this kind of leap, so keeping in contact with the ground may be safer. 

Not bad photos for a mobile phone, if I do say so myself!

Cube Attempt to Cannondale CAAD8 frame swap

Take an Ultegra/105 equipped Cube Attempt:

 and a boxed Sora equipped Cannondale CAAD8:

unbox it:

check it out:

(strip it, not shown) then put the Cube components on to the CAAD8:

Before below; After above:

All the leftover bits will go on to eBay for auction, including the Cube Attempt frameset. This was a unique opportunity to compare quality alloy frames with exactly the same components. They are both cool-looking fabulous bikes. The difference in weight is minor, the CAAD8 being just a few hundred grams or so lighter. The CAAD8 is 6061 alloy with SAVE formed chainstays, while the CUBE is 7005 alloy, hourglass stays and rectangular-ish section chainstays. My comments that follow are merely fine hair splitting. The CAAD8 feels a little nimbler and I find it to be the more comfortable of the two. I reckon it's a tad faster uphill, but on the other hand, the Cube feels more "planted" or "solid" downhill. I don't know if it's merely the "new bike" syndrome, fitness, or whether it is indeed all about the bike, but first time out on the CAAD8, I set a new personal best on a local hilly 35km route by almost a minute and a half. I highly recommend both these bikes. 

Servicing Shimano SPD Pedals

I love SPD pedals. But they're puzzling, because it's not obvious how to service them, other than keeping them clean and the release mechanisms (the bindings) oiled. So, here's a little post about servicing them. This is the PD-M520 bog standard pedal:

First thing to note is that the pedal unit (green arrow above) is screwed on to a splined threaded barrel (red arrow above, labelled (2) in the exploded view below). The splined threaded barrel goes over the metal axle. On the PD-M520, the barrel is made of PLASTIC! So if you try to use pliers to turn it, the splines will disintegrate (which may not be a huge problem if they are only ruined on two opposing faces, because you can still get enough purchase to tighten and loosen them again). Really though, it's best to use the proper tool, (11) below. Be sure to observe the arrow directions for loosening and tightening. You hold the pedal in one hand (easier to hold it in a cloth) and unscrew the splined barrel. 

I opened mine up and below is a photo. From L to R, the splined threaded barrel is shown located on the metal axle. Then there's a dished washer, a bush with ballrace cups on both circumferences, a cone nut and a locking nut. It looks like there are twelve tiny balls each side (I didn't measure them but Shimano tech docs say 3/32"). Also, shown in the exploded view above, there's a thin rubber ring seal around the axle just under the spline. Obviously to keep water and crud out. 

Below, you can see the ballrace cups in the bushing and the coned nut a bit better.

After cleaning it all up, I reassembled in the following sequence. Load up one side of the bushing (see below, on the right). Then pack some grease around the cone on the axle (see arrow below). Then, using a cocktail stick, press all 12 balls down onto the greased axle cone, and gently slide on the loaded bushing - unloaded face first of course. Then carefully spin on the cone nut, being careful not to dislodge the loaded balls and then the tiny lock nut.

Spend a few moments adjusting the bearing tension by turning the cone nut and locking the nuts down to each other. It's the usual game of trying to adjust the lock nut system to get free spinning movement with minimum (no perceptible) play. Slap on grease wherever there are parts rotating against each other. In total, it took me about 20 minutes to renovate a pedal that was grinding, hardly turning, into one that now spins freely. It's very clever, because the metal bushing which press fits into the pedal unit, seems to take all the load. Whirr!