Continuing in classic Service Course Velo fashion, here’s another article on basically how not to spend money. Brilliant plan for a bike shop, right? I figure if I can save you a few duckets here and there when it comes to general maintenance and upkeep, then maybe you’ll take my word for it when it’s time to get some real service work done or do a major equipment upgrade. Anywhay, here’s a few tricks and tips I’ve compiled that I’ve found to make life with bikes a little easier and maybe even less expensive.

1. El Cheapo iPhone case. If you are the type that has an Otter Box style case for your smart phone, then pass this one up, but if you are like me and can’t stand how big and bulky those cases make your phone and yet don’t want it dying from sweat and rain, read on. Most of us know that in a pinch a standard ziplock bag works pretty well. They are kinda big and since they are designed to keep your pb&j’s from leaking, they are kinda wimpy. Go to your local bike shop and buddy up with the head wrench. Odds are good they’ve been stockpiling these little babies.

These ziplocks are made of tougher stuff than the standard sandwich ones. Plus, 95% of all smart phones fit down inside with just enough room for an I.D., credit card, and a $20. The best is that the touch screen function on your phone still works while snuggled up in the bag, so you don’t’ need to dig it out to answer calls, take pictures, sext, or update that ever so important Strava segment (heavy sarcasm on the last bit there). So why go to the bike shop for these? Because all sorts of small parts come in them and any shop would be smart enough to hang on to at least a few. You might have to bribe your mechanic to deplete their secret stash, but it’s well worth it. I keep one in my gear bag and one in my glovebox so I always have one handy.

2. Here’s a freebie that can save your bacon in a jam. (Great, now I’m hungry. mmmmm, bacon. mmmmm, jam.) Anyway, if you ever find yourself with a spare tube but no presta equipped means with which to inflate it, don’t worry. You are all set to McGuyver yourself back on the road as long as you can locate a gas station or anyone with a standard schraeder pump or compressor. Take the plastic valve cap you usually toss into the recesses of your seat pack .

Now grind the pointed end on the rough pavement or if you have a pocket knife, nip the tip off so it looks like this.

Now turn it upside down from the way you usually put it on a presta valve stem and thread it onto the little threads at the top of the valve. Voila, schreader adapter. It’s not perfect, but it will allow you to use that nice old lady’s ancient foot pump or the gas station’s compressor.

3. Speaking of presta and schraeder valves, there’s a few of you racier types that fancy the deep section rims. Have you ever flatted and the only spare tube you or your riding buddies had barely poked out above the top of the valve hole? Not much chance of getting a pump or CO2 on there, huh? Seeing this really sucks.

That little nub sticking out is going to make keeping a pump head on the valve a real chore. This is where those brass or alloy presta to schraeder adapters come in handy. In a pinch, you can use the plastic valve cap trick, but everyone should carry these nifty little fellers in their repair kit.

Now just switch your pump to schraeder and you’re set to go. The larger size also works to keep the valve from sinking into the rim when pumping up the tire, too.

4. Fenders are great on the mountain bike, but as the weather turns a bit nicer, all most of us ask is that we don’t come home with dirt on our face and in our eyes. Most of that stuff that winds up on your glasses actually comes off the tire before the tire clears your fork arch. That’s why all those little honeycomb crevices they like to put on the back sides of forks are loaded up with a seasons worth of grit. There’s a few over the counter options out there that cost a bit and work well and there’s some free ones that do okay but look crappy, but here’s a tip that looks pretty decent and doesn’t cost hardly anything. Go to your kitchen or to the market and buy one of those thin, flexible, plastic cutting boards.

Trim it to fit the space behind the arch of the fork and between the upper legs and then cinch it up to the arch with a couple of zipties and you’re good to go. It’s free if you can avoid getting caught raiding your kitchen, but it’s easier to color coordinate if you pony up the $5 at the store. Plus, you’ll have plenty of material make some for all your riding buddies. Just make them pay you a sixer or so for it and don’t tell them how easy and cheap it is. Also is it’s an excellent place for stickers and stickers will make you at least 13% faster.

Keep that bad boy on all year round. It weighs nothing, never gets in the way, keeps your grill podium fresh, and also keeps the fork from loading up with a year’s worth of trail gunk and deer poop.

5. Nitrile gloves are awesome, cheap, and come in quantities large enough that you can stash some darn near everywhere. They’re great for keeping in the back of the car for changing tires and in the tool boox for keeping clean during emergency repairs, but they also work well for some other things you might not think of.  I use them under my regular riding gloves when I’m racing in the rain and it’s cold out. Regular insulated gloves always wind up soaking up a ton of water and weighing about four pounds each by the end of the race and your hands still freeze. Neoprene gloves are great, but they cost a bit for the good ones and don’t do you any good if you didn’t pack them. In a pinch I can always bum some off the 1st aid tent staff or neutral mechanical support, never mind the fact that any auto parts store has  them by the caseload.

They also make cleanup worlds easier after the race. It’s really quite nice not to have a bunch of grit and grime all over your hand after you change out of your muddy kit. Just save the nitrile gloves for the last thing to be removed and it’s a much nicer experience.

This next tip about the gloves is for roadies, cross dorks, and serious euro snobs only. Pull on a glove to put your embrocation on and you won’t have to worry about accidentally getting some on your junk or absentmindedly wiping your nose with your hand afterwards. It lets you keep the hot stuff where you want it and not where you don’t. Just apply the embro and then peel off the glove. Bob’s your uncle.

6. Speaking of embrocation, did you ever notice how well it kicks in on the way home from the ride and once again the shower? The pros use special stuff their soigneurs put on a towel and have their legs wiped down for them, but I’m guessing most of us aren’t in the same boat. You need to use something with alcohol in it and you don’t want to waste whats chilling in the cooler on external applications. Go to the market and get yourself one of these.

Don’t worry. You aren’t going to bleach anything. It’s made by Clorox, but there isn’t any bleach in it. It’s mostly alcohol and it comes in handy dandy wipe form. If you’re a germ-a-phobe, then rest easy knowing it kills all sorts of germs and other bugs. Plus it comes in a bunch of scents including unscented.

If you don’t embro up, and you are a knobby tire type, you still should have some of these in the gear bag. Aside from the obvious ability to remove grime, the other thing they do very well is cut through and remove the oil in poison oak. Regular baby-wipes won’t cut it (pun intended). These are the bees knees for an after oak ride. They also make it easy to swipe your bike bits and shoes down so if there’s any of the poison oak on them (and there is) then you won’t get any later on down the road from touching your gear.

Now that you’ve saved all that money and made your life easier, you can feel free to come buy and spend all that extra loot at the shop. Just kidding. No I’m not.

Cheers!

The hot tire for gravel riding is the Clement X’Plor series. Either the USH or the MSO. The USH is a 35c slayer of pavement and gravel that transitions seamlessly between the two surfaces. The MSO is a bit larger at 40c and is perfect for eating up the rougher dirt and still being smooth and quiet on the pavement sections. Both are use dual compound rubber for great grip and rolling resistance, and a 120tpi casing for a supple ride.

Unfortunately, they are so popular that both are out of stock until the beginning of May. Service Course Velo is offering a presale offer to anyone who wants to reserve a set (or more) of these tires. Both tires typically retail for $75 each, but if you preorder a pair through the shop, you’ll only spend $60 each.

The only catch is you need to order at least one pair (two tires) and you have to pay up before May 1. You can mix and match if you want to and of course feel free to order more than one set.

Call or email if you have any questions.

Whoa! I bet that kinda got your attention. No, Service Course Velo isn’t going down the late night infomercial route with big claims and three easy payments of anything. It’s just time to talk about lubing your chain. It’s like adding air to your tires. It’s an essential part of riding a bike unless you are one of those folks whose chains I can hear from inside my car, across three lanes of traffic, windows up, and with my stereo on, or worse you’re one of those belt drive freaks. (Just kidding belt drive fans, you aren’t worse than those other types. I just wanted to yank your chain a little. You guys are tied.) Unfortunately, almost every single rider out there doesn’t lube their chain the right way. They use too much and pus it on at the wrong time for it to work it’s best.

Here’s the dirty little secret on chain lubes. They all basically boil down to two components. (Not literally. Please don’t boil your chain lube.) One part is an evaporative carrier. It makes the chain lube thinner so it can get in all the nooks and crannies. The other part is the actual lubricant. It’s thicker and heavier and designed to keep the metal bits that make up your chain from scraping against each other. Dry lubes use more of the carrier and less of the lube. Wet lubes use more of the lube and less of the carrier. Wax based lubes pretty much work the same way, except they leave a wax residue that is designed to fall off and “clean” the chain as you ride. Except most of their lubricant is suspended in the wax, so once it falls off the chain, no more lube. Basically, don’t use wax lube.

Really quick, here’s a diagram of a chain, so you have an idea on what I’m talking about when terms like pins, rollers, and plates are thrown around.

There’s not really much too them, is there? You know where your chain needs lube? Inside the rollers where they spin on the pins, or rivets. That’s it. Nowhere else. Any lube on the outside of the chain, whether it’s on the plates or the outside of the rollers doesn’t do anything but attract dirt and grime. Dirt and grime on a chain are bad. Look at this.

Yuck. That grime and grit does two things. The first thing it does is combines the dirt and oil to make an excellent cutting compound that wears out the chain faster. This is where the saving money speech starts to tie in. When chains wear, they also start to wear out the more costly parts of your drivetrain, like chainrings and cassettes. If you let a chain go too long between cleanings or replacement and it wears out those other pieces, when you put a new chain on, it will skip under load, cause chainsuck, and generally cost a ton of money. The other thing that dirt and grime does is actually pull the lube out of the rollers and pins. Think of putting kitty litter on an oil spill on your driveway. It soaks up the spilled oil. Well, that’s what the dirt on the outside of your chain is doing. It’s wearing your chain out faster and making the parts that need lube become dry sooner than they should.

Sometimes it’s not even the over lubing of chains that cause problems. Do you know about those chain cleaners that clamp around the chain and you fill them full of solvent and then run the chain through them until it’s clean? These handy dandy things that just about everyone of us has gotten for Christmas or our birthday at some point? (If you haven’t gotten one yet, be patient, you will. Mom’s and wives love buying these things).

The problem with these is twofold. One is you are “cleaning” your chain with some pretty dirty solvent as soon as you pull about three inches of grimy chain through it. The other is that almost all of the solvents you use leave a residue that gets inside the rollers and continues to do an excellent job of removing any new lube you put on the chain. If you are going to use one of these to clean off your dirty chain so you can start fresh and go about things the right way, remember to use something like White Lightning Clean Streak or even generic disc brake cleaner to flush out any left over solvent residue. Whatever it is you use should evaporate almost immediately and leave the chain dry to the touch.

So lets get down to brass tacks on how and when to lube a chain. First, the how. Shift into the big ring up front and the small cog in back. Now take your dropper (NO! Not an aerosol lube! NEVER an aerosol lube!) and apply one drop to the top of each roller on the chain below the chainstay. Rotate the cranks slowly backwards and keep going until you’ve gone all the way around. I like to start at the quick link if the chain has one, otherwise I’ll take a black sharpie and mark the chain so I know when I’ve made the full way around. Don’t just squeeze the bottle and spin the cranks around as lube drains out. That’s too much. Trust me, you’ll only need a tiny amount.

Ok, the lube is on, now take a rag and grab the chain with it and give the cranks a few spins around to wipe off any excess lube on the outside of the chain. Don’t worry about wiping off to much. You can’t do it. The only lube the chain need is on the inside of the rollers.

From now on, to clean your chain under normal conditions will be to give the chain a quick wipe just like this before you lube it.

OK, now on to the when. This is definitely where almost all riders get it wrong when it comes to lubing a chain. The best time to lube a chain is right after your ride. Yup after. That gives whatever evaporative carrier your chain lube uses the most time to get the lubricant into the rollers and pins and then evaporate away. If you put it on right before your ride, the lube never has a chance to set up inside the chain. It will be thinner than it was designed to be and the pedaling forces will fling it to the outside parts of the chain, making the plates dirty and the rollers and pins that need the lube dry. Almost every single lube gets put on too frequently as well. This is not a routine that you need to repeat after every ride. Of course different lubes have sorter and longer life spans, but the rule is to only lube your chain when you can hear it starts to sound dry. No more unless you are riding in some pretty extreme conditions or washing your bike after every ride like the pros. I personally like a wet lube. Using it like I described, I never have issues with a black, oily chain, even in super dusty conditions like Bend or in wet slop like Portland cross races. My personal favorite is Motorex Wet. Motorex is a huge, Swiss based lube manufacturer that makes lubes and greases for just about everything under the sun. But unlike most lube companies, they actually set their engineers to design a lube for bikes, instead of re-labeling another product made for motorcycles or go-carts or whatever.

So spend a little dough on some good lube, use it right, and save yourself time and money. Taking care of your chain is like cleaning your bathroom. It’s easy and quick if you do it regularly, but it’s an awful and disgusting chore if you put it off and wait too long.

OK, a show of hands. How many of you folks out there know about Lazer Helmets? I’m certain there’s a few of you that I’ve already convinced of their fit and quality, but for those of you who might not know anything about them, let me give you a brief rundown. Lazer is a Belgian company that has been making brain buckets for over 90 years! Sure back in the day they were probably of leather and looked a bit like the old Knute Rockne football helmets, but the point is that at a time when doctors were telling you that smoking was good for you, Lazer already knew that protecting your brain was a good idea. Unless you follow a lot of Euro road racing and cyclocross, you might not be aware of Lazer, because here in the US the big three brands of Giro, Bell, and Specialized pretty much dominate the helmet market. And they do a pretty good job of it, too. But those 90 years of helmet making expertise allowed Lazer to come up with an ingenious fit system that is easier to use and more comfortable than anything else out there. It’s called the RollSys. Most, if not all the other helmet manufacturers utilize a retention system that pinches down on the back of the skull, pushing the front of the helmet into your forehead. It does an okay job of keeping the helmet from bouncing around, but it’s not the most comfortable and it doesn’t allow for much space should you want to wear a cycling cap or beanie under your helmet. Lazer’s Rollsys uses a thumb wheel on the top of the helmet that tightens or loosens  the retention system around the whole circumference of your head evenly, smoothly, and infinitely.

Lazer isn’t done with good ideas. Surely you’ve seen the guys that are winning the Tour de France sprints and chilly spring classics using what looks like a regular helmet, but with out the vents. Those actually aren’t helmets without the vents, but a snap on, form fitting cover that makes a helmet more aerodynamic, and less affected by cold and rain. If you are a racer, it’s perfect for shaving a chunk of time off your local TT without having to invest in an expensive TT specific helmet that you might only use once or twice a year. It does an excellent job of keeping your head warm and dry during the winter months without having to use a thick beanie. In the rain, you’ll stay dry and comfortable, and if you venture out on the mountain or cross bike when there’s snow on the trees, say goodbye to getting a ice ball dropped down a helmet vent.

One more sweet option with Lazer helmets. They’ve come up with a nifty little LED tail light that install in the back of the thumb wheel you use for adjusting the Rollsys retention system. It weighs almost nothing and makes certain you always will have a red blinky light with you. You won’t have to sweat getting pulled over by the police or run over by someone just because your ride lasted longer than you thought and finished in the dark. Hands down, this little doo-dad will make your significant other feel at least 31% better about you riding in the evenings and early mornings. *

*82% of statistics like the one given above are completely false and made up on the spot. Just like this one.

So here’s the skinny on the Service Course Velo Lazer helmets deal. The shop will be stocking the Genesis model from Lazer. It’s their 2nd from the top of the line helmet and bang for the buck, is they best one they make. It has nearly all the same features and fit of the more expensive model (the Helium) and comes in at $65 dollars less.  Like the Helium, the Genesis has all the optional cool things available for it like the aeroshell and LED tail light. It also has a winter pad set that is extra cozy and has ear covers built in. Or you can get a summer liner that has a mesh to keep the bugs out of your hair. This is pretty much the one helmet to rule them all and in the darkness (especially with the tail light) bind them. For a limited time, Service Course Velo will be throwing in free of charge, gratis, extra, as a bonus, a LED tail light upgrade ($12 value) and an aeroshell ($20 value) with the purchase of any Lazer Genesis helmet. Because Lazer makes these babies in a ton of color options, I’ll have a few to try on and will special order whatever color strikes your fancy. No extra charge for shipping and you’ll have it in less than a week. If you dig what’s on the shelf, then bonus for you as you’ll walk ou the door looking 26% more awesome, 18% sexier, and 61% safer than you did when you came in. (See above for statistics disclaimer. Or don’t. Whatever.)

Cheers!

Coming up this January 7th will be the Service Course Velo’s 2 year anniversary and despite my best efforts, the shop is chugging along nicely. Now, I don’t turn off the lights at the end of the night after all the repairs are done and roll around in huge piles of cash (sometimes I do find the odd nickel under the workbench, though) but things are shaping up for a great 2013 and beyond. Of course, there are some changes for the shop also coming up, so buckle in whilst I try my best to explain the who’s, the whats, the wheres, then whens, and the whys.

Ok, deep breath, here we go.

1. Who?   Service Course Velo. (Hmmm. That isn’t too bad, I’ll keep going)
2. What?  Shop hours and days of operation are changing! Service Course Velo will now be open Monday through Friday and on Saturdays by appointment only. The new hours are also a bit different as it goes to Noon until 5:00pm. Again, M-F, noon until 5, and appointment only on Saturdays. Sundays are still closed up tight.
3. Where?  See line item numero uno.
4. When?  Starting the 7th of January, 2013.
5. Why?  My spousal unit, mother of my children, and all around best wife in the world is starting a new job in January. One that will require her to travel for work quite a bit. That means that I’ll need to step up the game in being a father and will be more responsible for taking care of the kiddos on a daily basis and also doing a load more work around the house to keep it from being condemned and us out of dirty rags while she’s gone. That means I’ll need to scale back the shop hours to work around the family schedule and stil allow an occasional bike ride for myself  to ensure I don’t drop any further off the deep end. The schedule change is the only change to the shop of any consequence for the new year.  I’ll still be selling the same brands of bikes and parts, I’ll just be at the shop a bit less. As far as repairs go, there will still be plenty of time to get the work done that you guys bring me, I’ll just be utilizing the iPhone a bit more to schedule the repairs with a bit more detail.  Don’t forget that Service Course Velo (me) has always done pick ups and deliveries of repairs and that fine tradition will continue.

So on that note, I’ll sign off and try to update the twenty million places that list the shop hours and days of operation, but undoubtedly I’ll miss at least one. If there are any questions, feel free to ring the shop (541)595-VELO (8356), drop me an email at thom@sc-velo.com, or stop by anytime and chat me up in person. Cheers!

Don’t put away the cross bike yet. I know the temptation is to throw it in the corner of the garage and deal with cracking last year’s crud off of it when it’s time for next year’s race season, but you’d be missing out on a ton of great riding. It’s called gravel grinding, or adventure riding, or just plain riding around and a cross bike is the perfect tool for the job.

First off, what the heck is gravel grinding? Well, have you ever been out on a road ride and noticed all the sweet dirt lanes and gravel roads we have around here? Ever take any of them? Probably not very far, but if you did, good for you. You probably noticed how cool it is to link up places like Medford and the Applegate Valley without having to go through Jacksonville and Ruch first.  How about taking a back way from Green Springs to Dead Indian? Have you ever wanted to get above the heat in summer and just cruise the gravel roads out by Lake of the Woods but the mountain bike is pretty much overkill for the job? How about taking Colestine Rd. down into Hilt? The gravel grinder is the perfect bike for such rides. You get to knock out miles and cover ground like you do on a road bike but you also get almost car free roads and tons of scenic views like you do on the mountain bike.

OK, so now you want to know why a cross bike is the weapon of choice for these types of adventures (or big stupids as my wife likes to call them) and you can’t do them on your road or mountain bike? Sure you can, but here’s why a cross bike is better.

Your road bike is the result of years of refinement all aimed at getting you from point A to point B as quickly and as efficiently as possible, as long as the way you are connecting those points is fairly smooth. Think sports car. Sure you can go down some gravel and dirt roads, but its going to be harder on you and your bike if you do it a lot. Plus, your margin of error on 23c slicks is pretty narrow when careening down washboard.

Your mountain bike is also designed to get you from point A to point B in an efficient manner, but over terrain that is heavily weighted towards the off in offroad. Shocks, fat knobby tires, and a fairly upright riding position all make for comfort and control on rocky singletrack and rutted out logging roads, but not the most calorically efficient way to cover miles over smooth dirt and bad tarmac. Think Baja racing truck, except you are the engine and last night’s burrito is the fuel. Your milage is gonna suffer a bit.

But there’s your trusty cross bike. The funny thing about a cross bike is that it is actually a very specific use, highly refined tool designed to do do one thing very, very well. Carry a racer around terrain that is pretty crappy according to rad bike standards, kinda tame by mountain bike standards, and be fairly light, tough, and comfortable while doing it.  Those are the exact same qualities that you’d look for in a gravel grinder type bike, although since you aren’t going to be racing on a closed course for just 45 minutes to and hour, you’ll probably want to make a few concessions. Also, you won’t be having a crack Belgian pit crew to swap bikes every lap, so these mods are going to be made not only with performance, but durability in mind.

First thing is you are going to want to change tires. Cross tires (especially tubulars) for racing are awesome, but you are going to want something that rolls easier on pavement, lasts longer, and is more easily repaired on the side of the road. I’ve had great luck with the tires from Clement. They make a few models specifically designed for these types of rides and I can say they roll fast on the road, grip well on gravel and dirt, and have a nice, supple casing so they suck up all the small stuff nicely. Another option is to use a commuting or touring type tire, but typically they are heavier and the thread count on the casing is pretty low so they ride a little rougher.

This is the MSO from Clement. If your bike frame can handle their 40c size, I can’t recommend these enough. They come in two versions. The less expensive one has a 60TPI casing and a single rubber compound whereas the nicer one comes with a 120TPI casing and dual rubber compound. So nice.

This is the USH. It’s a skosh smaller at 35c so it tends to fit on more bikes where clearance is limited. It’s also a bit better if your rides tend to have a bit more pavement thrown into the mix. That center ridge section runs nice and fast. The little diamond shaped knobs start to get bigger as they get closer to the edge, so cornering traction is great with out having a buzzing from a large block like you would on a mountain bike tire. FYI, these hook up better than they have any right to  when you get them off road. Also, all the Clement tires convert to tubeless super easily. Here’s a handy dandy review of both the MSO and the USH from someone else who likes these tires.

There really aren’t many more mods to do. You will probably want to go with a little wider range gearing than you have now. A little smaller on the inner chainring and maybe a mountain bike cassette in back in case you want to venture up some of the canyons and buttes we have around here. Needless to say, having a geared bike is going to be pretty much a given for most of us. Sure, there are plenty of examples of folks doing all sorts of epic rides on single speed and even fixed gears, but I will leave you with one word regarding single speeds and these types of rides. If you’re gonna be dumb, ya gotta be tough.

You’ll also want to put bottle cages back on the bike, and if the ride is long and remote enough, plan on using a hydration pack of some kind. That’s all there really is to it. The biggest modification you have to do is to yourself. Start looking at all the awesome gravel roads and dirt lanes that are out there and just begin to ride down them. You’ll be amazed at how many of them there are, how many cool and out of the way places they’ll take you, and how quiet from traffic they are.  Plus, it’s fun to start pouring over old maps and using your GPS for something other than seeing how fast you were up the same boring climb you do every week. Here’s a few pics to wet your whistle, so to speak, for some great gravel road rides in the year to come.

Always a good sign. Literally.

Ride towards the light.

Bring a friend or three. It’s better that way.

Gravel rocks!

Who says you need to wait for summer?

It’s not just the Rogue Valley, there’s also Shasta and Siskiyou County.

But you can’t come in. I’m closing up the shop this Saturday to attend the 5th and final race of the Southern Oregon Outlaw Cyclocross Series. you should join me. It’s out at Champion Speedway in White City and is almost guaranteed to have real cyclocross weather and conditions. Afterward, I’m going to watch my 6 year old boys play flag football so that they don’t grow up wondering where their father was during their adolescence and have to spend all sorts of energy and angst working out their daddy issues later. If you have an emergency, feel free to call me at the shop line. It rings through to my cell phone and if I can, I will arrange to help you out as best I can. The number is located up in Contact tab at the top of the page. I’d type it out here, but I get enough spam from bots, as it is already.

Cheers!

Service Course Velo is now offering custom built carbon wheelsets for sale, tailored to your individual needs, size, and style as a rider. I’ve located a source for quality carbon rims at affordable prices and I will lace them up to a couple choices of hubs to fit your budget. The rims are made in Asia like almost all carbon products are these days. Over the course of this last summer, I’ve built a variety of wheels using these rims and I have been very pleased with their quality and how easily they lace up. The braking is pretty good as far as carbon goes, they build up true and evenly tensioned, and the finish looks pretty darn nice. You’ll get the benefits of a carbon rim’d wheel without the huge sticker shock and the massive crocodile tears that happen when you curb your brand new Zipps in a local crit. Sure, they aren’t as super aero or sexy as a set of Enve or Reynolds, but you’ll be getting the vast majority of the performance at about a third the price. A replacement rim from those guys is $600-$750. Each. To replace a Service Course Velo carbon rim that was broken in a crash is $150 and they come with a 1 year warranty against any manufacturer’s defects.  Plus, they will be built around your specific wheel needs. A 120lb grimpeur (climber) will get a different rim profile, spoke count, and lacing than a 210lb clydesdale cross racer.

You have a couple of choices in hubs. For those on a budget, I’ve chosen the Race series from Velocity. These are a Taiwanese made hub with smooth cartridge bearings, light weight, and very good durability. Even though they are a Taiwanese built hub, because they are made to order for an American company, Velocity, I can rest assured that they wil have replacement parts and support available. They come in a dazzling array of colors, as long as you want black and are available for both Campy and Shimano/SRAM cassettes.

If you want a higher quality hub set that manages to shave weight, have faster engagement, an awesome reputation for durability, are made right here in Oregon, and do actually come in a shockingly large color selection, then you’ll want to go with the Chris King R45 upgrade option. These hubs are the cat’s pajamas. I’ve personally had a set of Chris King hubs since 1996 and have NEVER replaced a bearing. They are super easy to service and will last you a lifetime. Did I mention they come in a ton of colors? That’s pretty cool. Oh, yeah. they are Campy and Shimano/SRAM compatible as well.

The rims are available in depths of 88mm, 60mm, 50mm, 38mm, and 24mm and you can choose between clincher or tubular. Obviously the lower the profile, the lighter the weight, but less aerodynamic and not as stiff. Also, the clinchers add a bit of weight; about 25g per rim.  The number of spokes is pretty much up to whatever you and I sit down and come up with that would work out best for you. Here’s a couple of pictures of the rims. FYI, I don’t stock these because the size of the rim profile and drilling options are to numerous to have on hand, so there won’t be a plethora of these hanging around to fondle. I’ve been building a fair number of these up this year, so you might still see one or two hanging out in the shop waiting their turn to get laced up and ridden, though.

So here we are at the brass tacks section of this post. How much do they weigh and how much do they cost? Here ya go. Remember, all weights are approximate. It’s based off a wheel laced up with 20 spokes in the front and 24 in the rear. Also, as the rims get a deeper profile, the spokes used get shorter, and therefore, lighter. The estimates are all based off of what a spoke weighs for a traditional box section wheel. It’s not exact, but it’s close enough. You get the idea.

SCV Carbon Road Wheels with Velocity Race hubs, black Sapim Race spokes, alloy Sapim nipples and:

• 24mm Tubular Rims. 1200 grams. $750
• 24mm Clincher Rims. 1250 grams $800
• 38mm Tubular Rims. 1300grams $770
• 38mm Clincher Rims. 1375 grams $820
• 50mm Tubular Rims. 1375grams $770
• 50mm Clincher Rims. 1410 grams $820
• 60mm Tubular Rims. 1400 grams $790
• 60mm Clincher Rims. 1495 grams $840
• 88mm Tubular Rims. 1750grams. $810
• 88mm Clincher Rims. 1850 grams $860

If you want the Chris King upgrade, plan on an additional $250. I can’t recommend these hubs enough. The suggested retail on the hubs alone is $425. Getting them in a custom laced set of sick carbon hoops is downright awesome.

One last thing, if you want to use another type of spoke to try and save more weight like a DT Revolution or Aerolight, or the CX Ray or Laser from Sapim, that’s totally fine, as well. Just let me know and we’ll come up with a price once the spoke count is determined. Those swanky spokes I buy individually, so their price depends on how many we decide to go with.

As always, please feel free to contact the shop with any questions. Cheers.

*Update*

Some of you might be wondering if I’ve forgotten about our trail riding friends. Fear not. If you want a set of tubeless ready, carbon rimmed mountain bike wheels, I can do those as well. I’ve laced a few up already this year and they have been nothing less than stellar. Light, and very stiff, they’ve lasted a whole XC race season and one set captured the OBRA single speed series and state championship. You can choose a narrow (23mm wide) XC rim or a wider (30mm) All Mountain rim in 26″, 650B and 29er. These wheels are disc brake only. Pricing with the Velocity hubs is $800 and add $250 for the Chris King. Hubs are available in QR, thru-axle, and bolt on.

Cheers.

By now, most of us have seen the countless online and print articles about the next big thing in cyclocross and (gasp!) road bikes being disc brakes. Of course, there is a ton of info about all the positives and negatives associated that come with using disc brakes and skinny 700c wheels and tires and some of the information ou there is actually true.  A lot of the buzz being generated is also the bike industries way of creating “the next big thing” and pushing more people to buy a new bike. None of this really helps you, Joe (or Josephine) Consumer if you are trying to wade through all the ad copy and technical mumbo jumbo and just want to buy a new bike and not be that person stuck with outdated technology. So what should you do if you are considering a new cross bike and the added wrinkle of disc brakes or no disc brakes leaves you with a little paralysis through analysis?  Here’s a few things that you might want to keep in mind as you consider looking at a cross bike equipped with disc brakes.

1. Disc brakes are heavier. They require heavier hubs, disc rotors, reinforced frames to mount the discs to, and the brakes themselves are heavier. Yes, as discs become more common place, the weights will come down, but they won’t ever be as light as a rim brake. Especially at the low and mid-range models.

2. Disc brakes are right now only really available in a mechanical version. There’s a couple of options for a kludge of a cable actuated hydraulic brake system, but they are expensive and not an easy retrofit. Everything out there is a mechanical system that is heavier, uses one pad to flex the rotor into the other pad, and requires you to constantly adjust the brake at the caliper to compensate for pad wear. You can’t just turn a barrel adjuster at the lever and have the brakes keep functioning as effectively. While that will pull more cable and move the pads closer to the rotor, it also changes the actuation of the internal cam in the caliper and makes the brakes weaker and weaker each time you do it. Hydraulics are self adjusting for pad wear. It’s why you’re always surprised when you take the car in for new tires and they tell you your brakes are shot. They felt fine on the drive. The pedal always goes to the same place on the floor. That’s because hydraulics self adjust for pad wear and will work the same until the brakes are completely worn out.

3. All those wheels you use on both your cross bike and road bike? They are now only good for the road bike. No more grabbing the road bike’s wheels to use as an emergency back up. You can’t offset the cost of deep section carbon wheels by telling your significant other that they will be for crits and cross racing. If you fancy yourself as a “real” cross racer, you are going to be investing in quite a few new sets of wheels that will only work on one bike. “But can’t I just share wheels with my 29er and my cross bike, then”? Probably not, especially in the near future. Almost all mountain bikes are going to be equipped with thru-axles front and rear within the next couple of years, meaning your cross disc wheels with QRs are going to be quaint hoops only good for one bike.

4. Discs are here to stay and will become the standard eventually. But what version will be the standard. When mountain bikes first were getting discs, there were multiple standards for how the rotors attached (3 bolts, 4 bolts. 6 bolts, splines) and how the caliper attached to the frame or fork (IS, Post Mount, Hayes 22mm, Rock Shox, Sachs). Right now, road and cross bikes use a 130mm spacing for the rear wheel. Most of the industry agree that it will bump up to 135mm for cross bikes to fit the disc, but there are a few models out there with a 130mm disc hub. Those hubs are almost impossible to locate should you need to replace a wheel. years from now?

“Wow! That seems like a lot of doom and gloom towards disc brakes. I should stay away from them”. Not so fast. Disc brakes also have a ton of advantages. Here’s a few.

1. Discs work better. Everywhere. All the time. Sure they are stronger and are inherently better in the wet, but what really makes their performance shine is that they work the same regardless of conditions. That consistency allows you to not have to factor anything in to how you apply the brakes. you never have to clear water from a rim. Your rim can be covered in muck. It can be a bit out of true. It doesn’t matter.

2. Do you like to take long gravel rides in all sorts of conditions when you aren’t racing? Do those rides have long descents? Discs are the way to go. Break a spoke out in the boonies? No problem. As long as the wheel still turns through the frame, you can ride it out and have perfectly functioning stoppers.

3. Have you ever looked at the difference in materials between a rim brake pad and a disc brake pads? One is squishy rubber and the other is some sort of really hard metallic looking stuff. Guess which one lasts longer? Sure, you’re gonna have to still by new brake pads every now and again, but way less frequently than you did with rim brakes.

Where does that leave you? Options still as clear as mud, right? OK, lemme break it down a bit more.

If you are a racer, don’t worry about your new frame or bike not having discs. You will save some money as rim brakes are cheaper, so you can funnel that money back into entry fees and paying me to huff tubular glue while I mount up your tires. You can use all of your other road and cross wheels. Set a set up with clinchers to train on. Rob your wife’s road bike for a set of pit wheels. Be brave an use those deep section carbon hoops. They are faster and make really cool noises when you get them spun up. Also, you are a racer, so the odds of this bike being a lifetime frame are pretty small. You’re either gonna crash it and dent the top tube, or you’re gonna cover that dent with a sticker and sell it off to finance the newest toy in a couple of seasons. If you get a bike with discs, no problems either, just be okay with having less wheels at your disposal. Pick a good tubular and keep a spare around in case you slice it.

Not a racer, or just the occasional racer? Do you only have one set of wheels for everything? Then if the bike you are looking at has discs and the rest of the components looks good, go for it. Find a good deal on a used cross bike, but it doesn’t have discs? No biggie. Slap some mini-V brakes on there. They are worlds better at actually stopping you than a traditional cantilever and for the money, might be the bestest, cheapest, goodest upgrade you can do.

Gonna buy a cross bike for everything a cross bike does well except racing cross? Light touring? Adventure riding? Gravel grinding? Commuting? If it’s a new bike. go for the discs. If it’s a used bike and it doesn’t have them, see the paragraph above and don’t sweat it.

Basically, the longer you actually plan on keeping a bike (not the fake amount of time we always tell our spouses. “It’s gonna be the last bike I’ll ever need. I swear”.) the more you should look into getting a bike with discs. If you have a stable of wheels with tires for every condition, then you will gain more by having those treads at your disposal than you would with the better breaking. If you get a new cross bike every couple of years, don’t worry about having discs. If you have a cross bike now but you hate the braking with the old fashioned cantilevers so that’s why you are looking to get a new bike with discs, then throw down $40 on a set of mini-v’s and see if that helps. Besides, if you decide that you still want discs, then you aren’t out much coin and your old bike is now way easier to sell.

Quick Disclaimer. I sell Kona bikes and they have been making cross bikes for eons and they do it well. There are options for discs and non-discs from them. This year, the top end models are non-disc, and the other versions are disc. Next year I would expect to see more disc options. I would also expect to see at least one model that is non-disc at the high end as well. So while I sell a brand of bike that makes me biased, I’m pretty certain I’d give you the same following speil regardless of whatever brand you were inquiring about. I always try and sell a bike to a customer that will fit their needs instead of getting a customer on something just because I have access to it. A non sale because I can’t get what you need is much better for me than trying to force you onto a bike that isn’t what you want or need.

Despite my best efforts and attempts at keeping the site updated with breaking news and unvarnished opinons, it seem once again I have fallen behind the proverbial 8 ball. Luckily, every now and again, there comes along a time where I can kill a couple birds with one stone. So I’m using the most recent post to let everyone know that it’s Service Course Velo kit re-order time.  The kit order is actually a pre-order. This means I collect the sheckels from you before I whip out my credit card and offer it up to the clothing gods. Just a reminder, there won’t be any extra clothing ordered to have on hand at the shop. So if you want something, you gotta swing by and lay out the dollars up front. This is the clothing equivalent of a race that you can only sign up for via pre-registration.  Here’s a little description of the process and pics of the available items and their respective pricing that I used the last time a clothing order was done. It worked well enough that I’m going to give into my inner laziness (I like to think of it as efficiency, though) and do an old fashioned copy and paste. Please feel free to call, email, or stop by if you have any questions. The deadline to have your order in and money in my grubby mitts is October 12th. Plan on 3 weeks or so after that to see the swankiest kit in all of OBRA land.

Three things about the clothing before you scroll down and start your holiday perusing.

1. The clothing isn’t cheap. It’s not Assos or Rapha expensive, but you aren’t about to find it in the bargain bin at Performance, either. This is extremely high quality clothing and Service Course Velo is making ZERO money on these. The price you pay is the price Service Course Velo pays, plus a small amount to cover credit card fees and shipping. It costs what it does because it is such nice clothing. I decided when I first tripped down the primrose path of shop kits and custom clothing, that since I was going to be wearing the full kit darn near every time I ride, I better enjoy slipping it on. I want the kit to be the favorite pair of bib shorts in your closet and the jersey that you dig out of the dirty clothes because you are going for another ride and laundry hasn’t been done yet. So far, for me, the clothing has lived up to that billing.

2. The prices have gone up since last time. I wish I had a good and definitive answer about why, but I don’t. I know that the extra 10% or so isn’t a huge amount, but I wish it could be the other way and prices had dropped. So I’ll just say sorry and please know that I’m always looking for a way to make the clothing more affordable. If there was a switch in manufacturers, then there would be new artwork fees bump the prices up to what they are now and the sizing would be all different, as well.

3. You need to come buy and pay for the clothing you want before October 12th. That’s three Fridays from now. I will be collecting the deposits and then placing the order the following Monday. The clothing will take 4 weeks or so to arrive, so it will be here in time for you to blow minds and eye sockets with the super sexy kit at the first races of the year. There will be no clothing ordered just to have at the shop.

Ascent Jersey. Full Zip. iPod/radio cord port. Silicon waist gripper. Vented side panels. Sleeves that don’t ride up and a super comfy collar. $90

Ascent bib shorts. Awesome chamois. Power lycra leg grippers(no sticky rubber). Mesh bib uppers for breathabilty. $120.

Arm Warmers. Lighter weight. Color matches the color bands on the jersey. (PRO) $30.

Knee warmers. Comfy. Not too heavy weight. Colors match the bands on the bib shorts. (Very PRO!) $35.

Breckenridge Jacket. Packable. Windproof. 2-way zipper. Heavier than a windshell, lighter than a thermal jacket. $100.

Breckenridge Vest. Same material as the jacket on the front and shoulders. Jersey fabric on the back. 3 pockets. 2 way zipper. $85.

Long Sleeve skinsuit. Super aero and cyclocross PRO. Not a thermal skinsuit. It will make you at least 18.6% faster. $150.

Anyhoo, here’s the clothing and their pricing. Please feel free to call, email or swing on by the shop if you have any questions. If you need to try on a size or two to make certain you get something that fits, let me know and I’ll see if I can at least borrow a piece that has already gone ou to another customer. I’ll even try and make certain it’s clean. (No promises)