We know how it is _ work, family, happy hour … all conspire to make it impossible to set aside even a measly hour to concentrate on bike maintenance. But if you devote a little time to bike care every day for a month, you can accomplish mch more than you would by squeezing in a spare hour here and there on weekends. This simple, 30-day plan assumes you want to keep riding your bike. Aside from a scheduled three-day stint at the bike shop to take care of the major stuff, ther’s no forced downtime. Happy wrecnching.

Day 1

Start Off the month by giving your bike a light cleanup. This isn’t the full-on  Silkwood shower _ we’ll go to that. Fo now, use a damp cloth to remove the first layer or grime from the frame, rims, derailleurs cankarms, brakes, stem and handleblar. Wipe with a dry rag. Noàw you can touch your bike without getting filthy.

 

Day 2

Check the frame fro cracks. This is satisfying to do for two reasons : First, you probably won’t find any. Second: if you do so, you just saved your life, or at least one of your collarbones. Cracks usually occur nera welded areas, ot where the frame is butted. Probably the most common spot is the undersid of the down tube, just below the head tube. On carbon frames, it can be difficult to tell if you’re looking at a scratch in the clear coat or a crack in the frame. General rul : if your fingernail can catch on the blemish, it might be a crack. If you have your suspicions, go to the bike shop tomorrow for a learned opinion.

 

Day 3

Even if your frame checked out,  head over to the bike shop today and get everything you might need for the month :

• 2 tires
• 3 tubes,
• 2 sets of brake pads
• a set of cables
• housings for shifters and brakes
• handlebar tape
• degreaser
• Frame wax

You might no use all this, but at least you’ll have spares.

 

Day 4

All seatposts can bond to the frame  – take 5 minutes and avoid this disaster. Mark the hight of your seatpost with tape or a pencil, then remove it, wipe it clean and; if it’s steel or aluminium, smear a light layer od grease over the section that inside the frame. For carbon, apply a layer of carbon-prep paste, which, like regular grease, prevents the post from bonding to the frame but is gritty enough to sop the common problem of slippage.

Day 5

Inspect each tire. Deflate the tube to about half its pressure, so the tire is still shaped but pliable. Rotating the whell in the frame, manipulate the tire with your hands to expose cuts in the sidewalls or tread. If you find any that go either entirely through the tire, or are deep enough to make you anxious, replace the tire. Rule of thumb for mountain bikes tires : if 5 or more threads are ripped away, the tire is ready to fail systemically and should be replaced if you want to avoid lost of flats.

 

Day 6

Look at the underside of your down tube: All those disgusting black warts are road tar that was thrown up onto your bike at some point and dried there. At first pass of the rag, removing them will seem impossible. Keep soaking them with diluted degreaser or a solution of equal parts dish soap and water, and scrub hard. That’s a noble 20 minutes you just spent doing something no none but you will ever appriciate.

Day 7

It’s obvious Day : Spin the whels ans see if they’re running crooked. Hold your bike off the ground and frop it ontop its tire, listening for rattles and clinks, the pinpoint them. Thnik back to all those clunks you’ve heard on your recent rides and catalog them. Think about how your bike has felt : Sticky steering ? Loose feeling from the rear on descents ? Write everything down, the callthe bike shop and make an appointment to bring your bike in midweek to checkon those things (weekends are rush tile)

Day 8

Remove each wheel from the frame. Hold the wheel between your hands and slowly turn the axle.  If the motion feels rough or the axle seems to catch, try slightly loosening the cones inside the hub to reduce pressure on the bearings. If the axle spins smoothly, check it for looseness : Using your index finger and thumb, wiggle the axxle round; if it moves enough to cause a knocking feeling, tighten the hub or add it to your shop list.

Day 9

Scuff up your shoes today. Glazed brake shoes cause weak braking and impolite squeal. Une sandpaper, a file or an emery board to buff off the glaze and roughen up the pads.  Also pick out dirt,  grit or pieces of metal that have become embedded in the pad. If the pad has hardened so much that you can’t scratch it with your fingernail or if it’s word pas the indicator line, replace it.

Day 10

Take your bike to the shop for its appointment. While you’re there, buy 2 new matching water bootles. Never buy just one.

 

Any guess on what wez are going to do during the next 20 days,  Please let us knw your guess by using the comment area below.

Days 10 to 20 >

Days 21 > 30

 

 

 

To make sure the rubber meets the road, chosse the tire that best fits the conditions in which you’ll be riding.

Rain riding

The points of contract on rain tires have two purposes. They break the surface plane of the water so that the tire can make contact owith the road, ant they enhance the grip of the tire once it doaes. To accomplish this, good rain tiers are tipically outfitted with a diamond or file tread pattern.  Rain tires also use soft compounds that grip the road better but wear out faster. In wet conditions, run your tires 5-10 psi lower than normal, which increases the contact patch – the surface area of the tire touching the road.

Racing

In the tire casing, a high number od threads per inch leads to a supple and controlled road fell. When you roll accross uneven pavement, supple tires absorb impact and maintain grip with the road, minimizing vibration and maximizong control. The high-tpi casings are teamed wiht flexible belts to addd some measure of durability, but the downside to all lighht, suple racing tires is that they cost the most  and wear out the fastest.

Rough Roads

Rubber is the heaviest substance in tires (there are also threads and layers of nylon, cotton, silk, Kevlar and other substances), ans it’s also resistant to punctures. So adding rubber to low-tpi tires to fill in the spaces between threads results in an inexpensive, flat-resistant tire. For further protection, durable, nearly bulletproof belts are sometimes laid over the casing. The downside of these sturdy belts is that they detract from rollong efficiency and road feel.

Winter training

A hybrid of flat-resistant and rain tires, off-season tires are made with tread compounds that maximize the sruface area of the contact patch and maintain grip. Because the road is typically more cluttered with debris, the threads are also tougher to guard against cuts, making the stiffer and slightly less grippy than rain tires. A good way to counteract the loss of traction is to increase surface area: if you ride 21 or 23c, swithc to 25c to gain mo control in turns

 

2010: The Etape du Tour honours the Tourmalet.

2010: a NEW training week in the Pyrenees for Cyclosportive riders.

Hello,

I am Philippe, owner of the Primerose Hotel at Argeles-Gazost, in the heart of the Pyrenees.

2010 is a special year for us here in the Pyrenees and a special year for you too! The Pyrenees will be the highlight of this year’s Tour de France. The Etape du Tour will finish at the summit of the Tourmalet and Le Tour will even cross it twice.

To celebrate this special year we have decided to inaugurate a training week designed to develop your skills in riding the high Cols.

Argeles-Gazost is perfectly situated for a base for a training week with so many famous Cols all around : Col du Tourmalet, Col du Soulor, Col d’Aubisque, Hautacam, Luz Ardiden, Pont d’Espagne, Col des Bordères, Col de Couraduque, Col de Spandelles, Col des Tentes, Cirque de Troumouse, Col d’Aspin …

We will explore this exceptional area during the week, progressively increasing the level of the rides, but adapted to your level. You will be advised on how best to manage your efforts during the rides; you will be taught certain climbing techniques, given tips on nutrition, recovery post-ride and on bike maintenance.

Here is the proposed schedule for the week:

Monday:  Borderes / Couraduque : a gentle ride ,mostly in the lower valleys, enabling us to assess the level of riding ability in the group. +/- 70km

Tuesday: Spandelles, Aubisque, (if the weather permits) Soulor. A harder ride with three serious climbs. +/- 100km

Wednesday: Tourmalet, (if weather permits), Luz Ardiden. Your first chance to test yourself on the Giant! +/- 80km

Thursday: Hautacam, Spandelles. Ride one of the hardest climbs in the Pyrenees (Hautacam), just outside Argeles. A great training climb. +/- 90km

Friday: Hourquette d’Ancizan, Aspin, Tourmalet par La Mongie.

A fitting climax to the week with the best climbs and scenery the Pyrenees has to offer. +/- 160km
NB. The roads over the Aubisque and Tourmalet should normally be open for these rides at the time of year proposed for the training week; however, we cannot guarantee that there will be no late snow. If this is the case, alternative rides will be designed that will NOT disappoint you!

The group will be limited to 10 cyclists maximum and will be led by Phil Deeker. Of English origin, living in the Belgian Ardennes, he has created the ‘Ultimate Sportive’: “The Rapha Cent Cols Challenge”, a ten-day challenge taking in 100 Cols with an average of 200km per day. He also works regularly for different companies taking guests to watch the Tour de France and also climb some of the epic roads they see the Pro’s tackle. He has much experience in riding cyclo-sportives and enjoys sharing his experiences with other passionate cyclists.

For rides over a certain distance a vehicle will accompany the group ensuring general safety, mechanical back-up and food replenishment.

You will stay in the Primerose Hotel which has welcomed cyclists from all over the world for the last 10 years and which works with several agencies specialised in cycling holidays.

The dates proposed are:

Arrive: Sunday 30^th May 2010, approx. 18.00hrs

Depart: Saturday 5^th June 2010, after breakfast.

The price is fixed at 545€ per person, either in a twin room or a large triple room.

(Rooms have shower or bath + WC + TV satellite + Telephone + Alarm + Safe + A/C, if required + free Wi-Fi)

Supplement for a single room: 16€ pp/p night

This price includes:

6 nights half-board, including a sports breakfast, 5 picnic baskets for lunches, pasta dish before dinner, dinner, a welcome drink the first night and a farewell drink on the last night, guiding & training with Phil Deeker, a support vehicle on the longer rides and the ‘taxe de sejour’.

Our large garage for bikes (locked at night and under camera surveillance) and our private parking are at your disposal.

If you are interested or have friends who you think might be, please contact me at this e-mail address: primerose@wanadoo.fr

Hoping to hear from you…

Have a very Cyclo-Sporting Year 2010!

Yours truly, Philippe