Volume 1 / Issue 009

Our every other weekend trips to Dallas are getting back on schedule. If you want me to come to your city and do fittings for you and your colleagues, contact me and we can arrange it.

Dallas Fitting Trip, January 9th through January 12th. Fittings will be held in the Cooper Fitness Center in the spin classroom.

Dallas Fitting Trip, January 23rd through January 26th. Fittings will be held in the Cooper Fitness Center in the spin classroom.

Feature Article – Shifting Gears from Past and Present

We have come a long way since 1937, which is the first year that derailleurs were allowed in the Tour de France. The ability to change gears without stopping revolutionized the bicycle and even today the mechanism is very similar to that which was first invented. Literally, the derailleur “derails” the chain off of one sprocket or chainring allowing it to travel on another cog or chainring. The number of gears or “speeds” has changed. In 1937 the Super Champion system had one chainring in the front and four cogs in the rear for a total of four speeds. Today’s Campagnolo Super Record group has two chainrings in the front and eleven in the rear, giving a possible 22 speeds.

The biggest differences besides number of gears is the ease of operation. The Campagnolo Cambio Corsa was an interesting derailleur in that it didn’t have a chain tensioner. What’s a chain tensioner? One of the problems of using different sized cogs and chainrings is the fact that the chain needs to be a different length depending on what gear the bike is in. A chain tensioner is a spring loaded device with a pulley that keeps the chain tight no matter what gear is chosen. In a modern rear derailleur, there are two pulleys called Jockey Pulleys on the derailleur. The pulleys are mounted on a spring loaded plate that keeps the chain tight.

With the Cambio Corsa, one had to shift a little differently than today. There were two levers on the right seatstay that one could barely reach from the saddle. The first lever was turned which opened the quick release (imagine a modern quick release with a linkage that allowed you to work it while riding). The hub had teeth in the dropout area so the loosened wheel would track straight even though it could move forwards and aft.

Now that you have loosened the rear wheel, another lever moved a cage very similar in appearance to our modern front derailleur. The derailleur moved the chain so it would engage on a different cog and the loose wheel would settle in with the new chain tension so the first lever could be locked. That was a lot of work just to change one gear.

In the time between the late 30’s and the late 70’s derailleurs had improved so we had one on the front with two or three chainrings and then up to five cogs on the rear. This was the state of affairs when I started racing bicycles in the early 80’s. My bike had a 52/42 front chainring combination and a 13-19 rear cogset. I lived in Dallas at the time and we thought that this was fine. The people who lived in Austin and San Antonio had 13-21 cogs as the hills were more prevalent.

Fast forward to today and I have an 11-25 cogset and a 53/39 front chainset. The five speed rear cog has been replaced by an eleven speed cog and the shifting is silky smooth.

Shifting was so much more difficult when I started racing bikes. The Campagnolo Super Record levers were mounted on the down tube of the bike. Combination shift / brake levers had not been invented yet. Some of us had bar end shifters which are used today on triathlon bikes and touring bikes.

There was an art to shifting Campagnolo derailleurs. The shift levers did not have indexing, just a tight friction mode. I remember having to move the lever more between gears if the rear derailleur was at the smallest or largest cogs, and it needed less movement in the middle. This took a lot of getting used to because I had to consciously over shift just a bit and then move the lever back to center of the chain on the cogs. If you did it right, the shifting was totally silent. I always respected people in the peloton who learned to shift with precision; quiet, smooth, with no movement of the bike since one hand was off the handlebar.

Six speed gears arrived in the mid 80’s, and a shift to wider rear axles happened too. Nobody thought we could add any more gears until Shimano came out with seven speed. Shimano also pioneered indexed shifting which all the elitist racers laughed at. With these new fangled shifters anybody could shift like a pro without having to learn all the tricks we had spent years mastering.

The new gear shift levers worked well but had an incredible “clunk” when the lever moved. It was all of a sudden really easy to know what competitors were doing with their gears and sprinters like me took great delight in quietly setting up and then anticipating the “clunk.” By the time the leadout guy got on top of the gear I was already around him! I confidently predicted that indexed gears would not last. Thank goodness I was not trying to make a living as a soothsayer!

The new shifter / brake levers were so wildly popular that it totally changed the bicycle scene. Shimano snatched a market lead from Campagnolo and has kept the volume market share to this day. Eight speed rear cogs came and worked well. Nine speed showed up and was received with a similar excitement that Microsoft Vista is today.

The nine speed chains would break and the shifting in the front chainrings was awful. Fortunately, the Shimano and Campagnolo design camps simultaneously came up with the “ramp and pin” setup we have now. People expect to see the intricate cuts and pins machined into chainrings and cogs but those didn’t come until very recently. The reason they are necessary is the new chains are much narrower than old chains plus the roller pins on the new chains are flush with the outer plates so there is nothing to grab the chain and help it move to the new gear.

Nine speed was saved and then Campagnolo came out with ten speed. This proved to be a great system for road bikes but mountain bikes kept the nine speed system because of the need for more durability.

The latest volley from Campagnolo is an eleven speed group with the old Super Record name resurrected. Shimano is beating Campagnolo to the punch with the release of electric shifters soon. Mavic had electric rear derailleurs for years but Shimano has electrically operated front and rear derailleurs.

Our friend Lennard Zinn has tested the new electric shifting system and reports that another technique of reducing pedal pressure to shift is now sent to the buggy whip archive. Apparently you can stand and climb with the new system and shift at will from the large to small chainrings and back, all while standing and pedaling hard. Lennard says that he has not seen anything like this.

Technology has continued to advance and we are getting more performance with less weight and much less learning and technique required to master. I don’t mind losing the techniques that I spent so many hours learning as the current bicycle is an incredible machine, one that performs so well that I can focus on the riding more.

While there must have been a backlash in Formula One racing to move to automatic shifting, and there certainly was from stodgy bike racers in the bike biz, we have come a long way. Anybody can ride a high performance bicycle now and with a minimal amount of learning, shift like they do it for a living.

Until next time,

Kevin
President
KGS Bikes

Dear Kevin,

I just bought a Tacx Fortius trainer from you and I really enjoy it. I have a question, though. One of my best friends wants a trainer too and she is considering the Computrainer which is the long time leader in the high end computer trainer market. I just took your word for it and when I saw the demo I was sold. I don’t know the difference between the Computrainer and the Tacx Fortius and want to ask you to clear it up for me and my friend.

Mary

Dear Mary,

Thanks for your confidence in me. You are correct that we didn’t discuss Computrainers when you bought your Fortius. I have owned a Computrainer and have considered carrying them but chose not to for the following reasons:

1. The Computrainer, the Elite 3D trainer and the Tacx Fortius all have decent Virtual Reality. The Tacx Real Life videos are much better than the ones I have seen from competition, though.
2. None of the trainers other than the Tacx Fortius have a Motor Brake and I think this is the biggest single reason to choose the Tacx over the others. I have ridden rollers for years and in fact had preferred them to trainers if you use a resistance unit on the rollers. I since have come around because of the Motor Brake on the Tacx system. This device combines a resistance unit and a motor which can switch quickly depending on whether you are going uphill or downhill and whether you are pedaling hard or coasting. The ability to “float” the pedals to unload your knees is by far the most compelling feature of the Fortius that other units don’t have. As I see myself and my clients getting older, little things like this become big things as injury is prevented.
3. The Computrainer’s physical device (the trainer) is an old Racer Mate design and it is very outdated. I contacted Racer Mate when I got my Computrainer and asked if I could help redesign some components (I was an industrial designer at the time) and they laughed me off the phone.
4. Tacx is constantly improving their design and upgrading the product. The Fortius can be upgraded to add Google Earth and to get rid of the 27 mile an hour “speed limit”. When I told Computrainer about some glitches I found, they acknowledged them and offered no workaround or upgrade path.
5. Tacx really stands behind the product. I have people call me from all over the country as I am a Tacx center, and I work with them to provide warranty or technical support. It makes my job a lot easier knowing the people at Tacx have my back.

I hope these reasons will be beneficial when you explain your trainer to your friend in comparison to the Computrainer. Of course I am always available to answer more questions if she has them. Thanks again for writing,

Kevin

Dear Kevin,

I have a clothing problem. I never know what to wear when I go outside. I dress to be warm when I start the ride and then I start sweating like crazy and then freeze. What do you do about clothing?

Brad

Hi Brad,

Great question. I have to confess that I usually ride the Tacx Fortius trainer in my studio, but when I do venture outside I have a similar problem as yours. Additionally since I rarely train outdoors my body is not used to the elements and it makes me feel wimpier than usual regarding the cold.

One of my former training partners had a great saying about clothing. He would say, “Dress for the end of the ride, not the start.” This means that a morning ride would have me slightly underdressed with layers I could remove and carry, and in the evenings I would want something warmer to put on during the cool ride home.

You have a lot of flexibility in clothing, so consider a set of arm warmers, knee warmers, wind vest and base layer tops as a first step. A typical ride for me that starts out in the high 40’s and ends up in the 60-s to 70’s would have me showing up with an UnderArmour base layer, short sleeve and arm warmers or simply long sleeve. On top of that I would add a jersey and a wind shell that is open in the back. With knee warmers and full finger gloves I may not even need a skullcap as I already have one of those wicking Do Wrap hats that I wear under the helmet.

I have been known to ditch the vest quickly, then maybe even the base layer, leaving the knee warmers on as long as possible. I keep them on when the temp is under 65-70 degrees.

If I were to ride in weather colder than that, I would get heavier gloves, booties and maybe even a jacket. I would also have some SKS Race Blade Fenders on the bike as keeping dry is very important.

Remember to avoid cotton as it is a crummy wicking fabric. Wool is coming back in fashion and it is one of the best fabrics available. Think about your layers and dress for the end of the ride and you are going to have some super bike rides.

Thanks.

Kevin

Kevin Recommends

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.

Source Endurance – They are teaming with us to provide physiological testing, data analysis, training consultation and long-term coaching. They have two state-of-the art labs, one in Austin and one in San Marcus. We are proud to recommend them and invite you to check them out.

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.

Topolino Technology – Our wheels embody this ethic: A fundamental redesign of wheel construction to take advantage of extraordinary materials with amazing properties, yielding a wheelset that performs like no other.

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.

About KGS Bikes and Kevin

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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