Volume 1 / Issue 005

Lance Armstrong recently  announced that he would re-enter the world of professional bicycle racing. How this all shakes out is impossible to predict, but he chose a local race in Gruene, Texas to get comfortable on his time trial bicycle and to officially start the campaign. Lance had raced in the Tour de Gruene two-man team time trial twice before, once when he had cancer and once with the legendary Eddy Merckx. It is incredible that the eight-time winner of the Tour de France would start his journey anew in the Tour de Gruene.

The best part of this story is that Lance Armstrong, rock star among bicyclists, did exactly what caused me to enter bike racing back in the 80s. While the barriers to entry in auto racing, flying to the moon, climbing Mount Everest and countless other endeavors is great and the barriers to entry to compete in the Tour de France just as significant, I thought it very cool that I could buy a bike that Eddy Merckx would ride and compete on it at my level, but with the same equipment as the best in the world.

Lance took that concept and went one further. He chose to pay $30 just like everyone else by going to www.active.com and filling out the form. He showed up at the time he was supposed to, and for that moment he was just another bike racer competing against and with men and women, boys and girls of all ages. Since one is racing against the clock, it was possible to be entered in the same race as Lance Armstrong on the same or different kind of bike. It didn’t matter if you could average 10 miles per hour around the course or 29 MPH. What mattered was that the uber rock star was putting his money where his mouth was, racing his bike just like you and me.

I was supposed to be in Dallas performing bike fittings on this weekend so when Will Rotzler, the Tour de Gruene promoter for all 25 years of the event’s history, called and asked me to come to the event, I was really too late to enter on the tandem with Cynthia, my tandem stoker. I did come to the realization that Lance probably won’t have too many comeback moments and the first race of the comeback would be significant. I then decided that I would bring the camera and watch my friends race with Lance. I talked my wife Toni into getting off from work at her nursing gig that weekend and we were off.

The first day of racing was an individual time trial of 16 miles along the Guadalupe River. I have been known to assume (meaning “make an ass of you and me”), and sure enough, the start was not where I thought it would be. With some gentle reminders from Toni of my lack of memory and need to recheck the website, I asked the sheriff and found out the start was not in Gruene proper but down River Road. We piled back into the car and headed towards that general area, not knowing if we would be able to find a place to park or even make it in time.

I would rather be lucky than smart, so when we were funneled into a $7 spectator parking space, I asked where the competitor parking was and thankfully got out of there with my wallet intact. I had been invited by Will Rotzler to get a VIP pass and I surmised that free parking could be negotiated, plus I wouldn’t have to lug the ten pound studio camera the mile down the road. Toni and I found the start and someone left a space open “just for us!” We got out and started checking out the start.

A time trial has each competitor starting at one minute intervals, riding alone, avoiding the draft of other riders. It is a “race of truth,” one which is done simply as a race against the clock. Typically a route is chosen so one rides out and back. This course was no exception, so we could see the starters on one side of the road and the finishers coming back on the other.

I use a big Canon camera in the bike studio to photograph clients’ bikes. That said, a bike in the studio doesn’t move much and the lighting is very controllable. I have so much respect for real sports photographers who make it look simple, and I had to readjust everything to try and get good shots. As luck would have it, some of them worked well and others didn’t. I got some blurry shots but at the end of the day had enough decent ones to document Lance the Citizen becoming Lance the Bike Racer again.

The next day proved to be another beautiful South Texas fall day and this two-man team time trial did start at the place I remembered. When I got to the starting chute, however, it was packed with bike paparazzi! I don’t think I have the pushiness in me to be a real paparazzo but I was learning quickly that phone cameras can be held out quite far over the ropes and my chances of getting a decent shot at the start were slim and none.

I was wondering how the racers would handle that starting chute, though. They had to travel about 100 feet and then make a sharp left turn in a chute that was about 8-10 feet wide. I could see the local racers tentatively going through the start and wondered what the fast guys (read: Lance and his friend John Korioth) would do.

In the mean time, I found a really cool place on the street where I could see the racers accelerate out of the chute, fly down the hill and settle into an hour or so of pain. The local constabulatory approached me and said I had to move, as the pace car was going to run me down when Lance and John started. Well, my smart mouth about took over but somehow I held my tongue and moved ever so slightly away from the pace car. The cool thing was, the cop was directly in front of the car and he was the one who really had to move! I had actually been a real paparazzo for a minute, camera in hand, defying the lawman so I could get my shot.

The next thing I knew, the announcer was going crazy. Lance and John were about to start! This was not lost on the crowd and the next thing I knew a zillion people, many with a beer in one hand and a camera phone in the other were moving right into my line of sight! This was truly a Maalox moment. I knew from the other racers coming through the chute that this was going to be an impressive start, and all these hands closing off the pathway for Lance and John made me wonder what climbing an epic mountain stage would be like plowing through thousands of people like this!

I got really lucky because some photographer behind me started screaming at these people to make room and they kinda obeyed. I leaned way over and down and when I saw a black helmet I just held the shutter button down. The next thing I knew, whoosh! It was over. Lance and John came blowing through the chute much faster than anyone else and they were outta there.

Toni and I headed to the finishing line and since hardly anyone was there, we camped out by the finish line scaffolding which gave me a great view and nobody in front of me other than the officials. These folks did an incredible job of scoring and I was very impressed.

I took lots of pictures of people finishing and sure enough, they were in the same race as the big boys. I spent half the time wishing I were racing on the tandem with them and the other half simply enjoying the people of all walks of life going for it and creating a story they can pass on to anybody who will listen and some who won’t.

When Lance and John finally turned the last corner I got the last shots but missed the story. It was not until I got back on the computer and saw what Lance did in those last few meters. He had put his hand out to “high five” John, but John was still head down trying his best to get the absolutely quickest time possible. Lance was obviously easily finishing this race but he was courteous enough to let John finish first.

All in all, many things happened in Gruene this weekend but the best thing that happened to me was to be able to share some time with people going for it and leaving it all on the course, “Just Like Lance.”

Until next time,

Kevin
President
KGS Bikes

Dear Kevin,

I was teased in a group ride  because my chain squeaked. I use WD 40 sometimes but it makes a mess. I see that a lot of the bikes have chains so clean they look new. Is there a way to do it better and how often should I do it?

Mary

Dear Mary,

Thanks for asking. Bikes are getting more expensive and by keeping them clean and lubricated you drastically extend the life of your investment. Let’s address the type of chain lube first.

WD 40 is not really a lubricant but a solvent, so it is out of the question. The spray is also messy. This can be a hot topic like religion and politics, so I will tell you what I use in the KGS Bikes studio. Dumonde Tech is the best lubricant I have found to date. It is a “liquid plastic” that is applied before a ride and the friction from riding causes the plastic to bond to the metal. The result is a clean, quiet and very long lasting chain and cogs.

The application process goes like this. The chain and gears need to be totally clean at first. It is another topic to clean and wash your bike but for this topic just know that you want to start with a clean bike. Put the chain in the top gear, which is the big chainring and small cog. Then slowly oil each link in the chain, on the inside and outside plate. This will be done best on the lower chain run while slowly backpedaling.

Once the oil is on the chain, backpedal for a couple of minutes and then wipe all the oil off with a rag. I have an old hand towel for this purpose and use it to wipe the chain, chainrings and cogs after every ride. Every ride? Yes. Every ride. Once the chain is lubricated and the excess wiped off, I go ride, and at the end of the ride do a quick wipedown. It takes about a minute.

The chain won’t need more oil until it starts getting noisy, and that is usually 200-300 miles. The website says you can go up to 500 miles but I like to oil a little more frequently. This process is clean and it makes the chain last an incredibly long time.

Here is another tip. If you don’t have one already, try to get a Wipperman Connex link which is what I put on every KGS bike I sell. This allows you to easily remove the chain without tools for cleaning.

Kevin

Dear Kevin,

I am getting a new bike and my friends  tell me some bikes are “Twitchy”. What does this mean? BTW, I want a bike that will be stable in the mountains as I am traveling to Colorado next summer and don’t want to get nervous going down the mountain roads.

Brent

Dear Brent,

What they are referring to is the way the bike handles. Twitchy is a subjective term as some people might find a Ferrari Formula 1 car Twitchy and others might just call it quick. Either way, I think I can help you de-mystify this part of bike geometry. Basically the amount of input to the handlebars that is required to change direction can be correlated to a term called “trail.” I will explain trail in a sec, but think of it like this: the more trail, the more stability the bike will have on straight roads and in cornering, but more input will be needed to initiate a turn. The less trail, the bike will respond much more quickly with less input. This means that a touring bike should have tons of trail, as much as 62 mm, and a triathlon bike should have less, between 62 and 60mm, a road bike should have less, between 57 and 60 and a track bike will have less still, as little as 56 mm.

A track bike will need to be extraordinarily quick handling “twitchy” while a fully loaded touring bike will need the stability. I usually specify about 60 mm of trail in high performance road bikes, unless people really like quick handling and in those cases I will dial in 57 mm.

What does this mean? This is a case where a picture tells a thousand words, so I took a screen shot from my BikeCAD program that I use to design bikes for clients. Look in the picture and you will see a yellow line depicting the axis of the steerer tube. If you follow the line to the ground that is the front point we use to measure trail. Look aft to the point directly under the front axle. The distance between the two points is trail.

This shows a relationship between the head angle and the fork offset, or “rake”. I use the combination of head angle and fork offset to give you the trail number that you need to make your bike handle the way you like it best. Think about what kind of stability and quickness you want in a bike and you will find a trail number that works for you. Thanks so much for asking.

Kevin

We only recommend products,  services or companies that we have actually tried or worked with personally. A recommendation, like a reputation, is very important and we do not take this responsibility lightly. The following links are to our friends at the Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas. Dr. Kenneth Cooper is considered “The Father of Aerobics” and has put together a group of world class companies that have a direct impact on us as cyclists and as professional people:

Cooper Complete – We have arranged for 10% off anything you buy from Cooper Complete if you put “KGS” in the coupon link and then “recalculate”.

Cooper Clinic - The world renowned Cooper Clinic is starting to create medical exams and services aimed at professional adults who ride bicycles.

Cooper Fitness Center – The Cooper Fitness Center has a special strength training introductory program for cyclists.

These links are to our frame builders and other providers that make KGS Bikes the premiere fitting studio and cycling boutique in the world:

Co-Motion Cycles – We’ve long enjoyed a reputation for building tandems that simply handle better.

Guru Bikes – Our approach is based on combining the best of both worlds: cutting edge technology delivered by hand and with an old school attention-to-detail.

Lew Racing – Lew Racing has achieved a following among racing cyclists because of the wheel’s tremendously high strength, low weight and the meticulous attention to engineered performance inherent in its design.

Parlee Cycles – Simply put, PARLEE frames are the best built and best riding carbon fiber frames available today, at any price. They are functional works of art.

Rocket 7 – Since 1999, Rocket7 has been handcrafting cycling shoes in the USA with the finest materials available.

Sem Custom Paint – Dave Sem is the best extreme detail painter in the world.

Serotta – Only Serottas have the extensive engineering of our proprietary Colorado Concept tubing design. It’s the foundation behind the unique ride of each and every Serotta.

Storck Bicycles – Numerous innovations in frame and component design that are standard in the industry today were developed, patented, and introduced by Storck Bicycle.

Tacx – Home of the Fortius Virtual Reality trainer. This is the trainer component of our “Ultimate Spin Bike”. Tacx also makes many other fine products. KGS Bikes is an Authorized Tacx Testing Center.

Zinn Cycles – For more than a quarter of a century, Zinn Cycles have been working to make cycling more enjoyable for customers, and that commitment remains at the heart of everything they do.

KGS Bikes is known around the world as the premiere bicycle fitting studio and cycling boutique. Kevin Saunders, President, has over 25 years experience in bicycle fitting and high-end bicycles. He also has a broad knowledge of anatomy, structural engineering and industrial design. In addition to fitting services, KGS Bikes sells bicycles from Parlee, Serotta, Zinn, Co-Motion, Storck and Guru. They also feature Lew wheels, custom shoes by Rocket7 and the best available components from around the world. Visit kgsbikes.com for more information, including beautiful photography of the bikes carefully created for their owners.

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