My New Fuso: First Pictures

If my posts here have been a little sparse this week it is because I have been assembling my new Fuso bike with the frame that my ex-apprentice Russ Denny built for me.

I finished the build yesterday and went for a 20 mile ride this morning; I was impressed. I will write more after the weekend and I have had time to put some miles on it. I just wanted to post some pictures as many of you have been anxiously waiting to see it.

Not immediately apparent in the picture above is the very low 10 inch bottom bracket height. This has the affect of lowering the saddle in relation to the handlebars, but without compromising the appearance of the bike.

Above: The stainless steel head tube badge, and seat tube decal.

The drive train: Campagnolo Athena group with 11 speed cassette.

I am keeping my Brooks Pro saddle; I'm allowed one piece of old skool equipment, right. Actually this is a Ladies model which is wider and shorter than the regular Professional Model. It is very comfortable and, I think, looks better.

Above: With welds as neat as this I can live without lugs.

My Italian Rear View Mirror; I love it and wouldn't be without it now.

Bigger pictures on Facebook. Click on each picture to view the next. 

                        

Retro style jerseys

A couple of weeks ago I received and email from Solo Cycling Clothing, a company from New Zealand that in April this year opened up a new branch in the US. They offered to send me a jersey to try out and review it here.

I am quite picky when it comes to reviewing products and I often turn down such offers; however, this one caught my attention because these jerseys were retro style, designed after those worn by pro riders from the 1950s through the 1970s.

This was my era, the period when I raced, when shorts only came in black, and jerseys were simple, tasteful designs, with a team name and that was it.

Paul Mason the founder of Solo said the company was born out dissatisfaction with the style of contemporary cycle clothing. He states,

“While I had a deep respect for modern pro-cyclists, I didn’t particularly admire the ‘moving billboard’ look of modern team kit.

What I did love was the clothing worn by the pro-riders of the 1950's - 1970's. These were simple and powerful designs which demonstrated that less is more.

Talking with my friends and cycling acquaintances made me realize there were other cyclists who felt the same.”

In certain cycling circles today it is frowned on to wear the modern team kit. My feelings are if a guy, or girl for that matter, is 20 or 30 something and looks like a pro, they can carry it off.

But if the cyclist has a middle age spread, and let’s face it many of us do, to be decked out in full team regalia with matching tops and bottoms is not always a pretty sight. Especially when sporting hairy legs, and a helmet with a sun-vizor.

My jersey arrived last week, it was a blue and black St. Neith design. (Picture left.)

Unfortunately I had ordered a Medium size, when I should have gone for the Large.

Not only was it too tight, it was too short and I had to struggle to reach the back pockets.

However, all was not lost; my wife who is now my regular riding partner found that it fitted her perfectly.

We did a longish ride of 40 plus miles last Sunday, and one of the first things my wife remarked on was the fact that the jersey didn’t ride up like her other jersey did. This was due to a rubber gripper strip that is sewn inside the bottom edge of the jersey. (Picture below.)

I’m sure this strip will also support the jersey when the pockets are fully loaded. I prefer to carry all I need on a long ride in my jersey pockets rather than have miscellaneous bags attached to my bike.

These jerseys, although retro in style, are made with the modern materials that wick sweat, keep you cool, and are easy to wash after a ride. An extremely well made product, and the price reflects this.

A nice retro touch is the knitted collar and sleeve cuffs. An extra zippered pocket on the right side rear is handy for money, keys and other stuff you don’t want to drop while pulling some other item from your pockets.

The jerseys are not replica jerseys, and do not represent actual teams of yester-year; but rather are unique designs inspired by retro jerseys. My wife loves the one Solo sent me, and will keep it. I am impressed enough that I will buy another in my size.

The US company's website is http://www.solocycleclothing.com/

The New Zealand company is http://www.solocc.com/

                       

Pretend Races

Two years ago, 41 year old William “Kim” Flint lost his life descending a hill in Berkeley’s Tilden Park. Flint was apparently chasing a new fastest time on the popular cycling website Strava, which allows users to compare times with other riders over a section of road or trail using GPS units.

Flint lost control of his bike when he had to brake suddenly to avoid a car. Now Flint’s family is suing Stava for encouraging the cyclist to ride at dangerous speeds on public roads. Flint was descending Grizzly Peak on June 19, 2010 at least 10 mph above the posted speed limit of 30 mph. He was seeking to regain his Strava King of the Mountain, lead, which he had just lost to a fellow Strava user.

There are two lines of thinking in this case. One is that William Flint was an adult and should be held responsible for his own actions. He knew what the risks were, and as tragic as William Flint’s death was, should his family be looking blame someone else?

On the other hand is it a good idea to have a website that encourages people to race on public roads without supervision, or consideration for their safety or that of other road users.

Riding on any descent, there has to be a limit to how fast a person can go. By the very nature of these unsupervised record attempts, eventually this limit will be reached and quite probably someone will die attempting to go over that limit.

Cycling is a unique sport in that it takes place on public roads. Any group ride can, and often does, turn into an unofficial race. If a group of people were playing an unofficial game of baseball or soccer in a public park, with coats or backpacks to mark the bases or goals; tempers would flair if someone rode a bike or walked a dog though the middle of this game.

It is no different when a group of cyclists are sprinting for some imaginary prime at the top of a hill. Any motorist coming upon such a scene will not understand that there is some sort of friendly competition going on. All he sees is a bunch of annoying cyclists all over the road; car horns are sounded, and tempers flair on both sides.

Cyclists need to always be aware that theirs is not a game in the park, but one that takes place on public roads, where everyone has a right to travel. Dangers are very real, especially for the cyclist. This is why we all need to think about what we are doing, take responsibility for our own actions, and realize how these actions will affect our safety.

Here is another incident that all cyclists should consider as a wakeup call. On March 29, San Francisco cyclist Chris Bucchere,  slammed into 71-year-old Sutchi Hui at the juction of Castro and Market streets. Hui, who had been legally crossing the street, died days later.

Bucchere has been charged with felony vehicular manslaughter. One of the pieces of evidence that the prosecution is bringing, is that the cyclist was making some unofficial attempt to beat his own record on his commute to work. His GPS shows him doing 35mph in a 25mph zone.

Bucchere is also an adult at 36 years old, but never-the-less showed poor judgment by “racing” on crowded rush hour streets.

If you want to race, join a club and train for and enter proper sanctioned events. Don’t be racing in these "Pretend" unofficial races, if you do don't get carried away and take it seriously.

The only prize is a satisfied ego if you win, and possible death for you or some innocent victim if you lose.

                       

Time to throw in the towel

In an interview with Men’s Journal just a month ago Lance Armstrong said he was through fighting doping allegations against him; he stated:

“In my mind, I’m truly done. You can interpret that however you want, but no matter what happens, I’m finished. I’m done fighting. I’ve moved on. If there are other things that arise, I’m not contesting anything. Case closed.”

Now that the United States Anti Doping Agency (USADA) has announced its intention to pursue the case against Armstrong I really hope he will stick to the statement he made above. It would be the best outcome for everyone. If he choses not to contest USADA's evidence, the agency could unilaterally impose sanctions.

The whole cycling community is split; indeed the whole country is split. Anyone who knows who Lance Armstrong is will take one side or the other, for or against. If he just throws in the towel and says “I’m through fighting,” people can take it as an omission of guilt or not.

Those who believe Lance is innocent will continue to believe so; pointing to the 500 or so dope tests he passed. Those who believe he doped will see it in any way they want to see it; because let’s face this can drag on for years,( and it will if Armstrong fights it,) and in the end those who believe strongly one way or the other will still be of the same opinion.

There was a time when I tried to be neutral; to give LA the benefit of the doubt. But the evidence is piling up like dog shit on your living room carpet. Lance Armstrong is no different than your new puppy that looks you in the eye and says “I didn’t do it,” when this mound of poop is the strong circumstantial evidence that says, “Oh yes you did.”

Just this morning I read an article in the WSJ that says the USADA has 10 or more witnesses that will give evidence that they saw Armstrong dope. This constant denial from LA that he didn’t dope insults my intelligence. To believe that I have to believe that he is telling the truth and everyone else is lying. And the longer the denial continues the less I care about Lance Armstrong as a person.

There can be no good outcome to this saga, and least of all for the sport of cycling; especially if it drags on for years. It is a farce, the USADA and the WADA will take away Armstrong’s TDF Titles and give them to the next in line; some of whom happen to be convicted dopers themselves.

Right now I am more pissed at the USADA for wasting the tax payer’s money. It served no useful purpose to convict Barry Bonds or Marion Jones, and it will be no different with LA. I believe we need to bury the past and move on; address doping now and continue to try to stamp it out. It serves no purpose to drag this out any longer than necessary. The past will never improve.

Which is why I say to Lance Armstrong, stick to what you said in your interview last month; walk away and let the USADA do whatever they will. Save the tax payer some money, save the sport and the rest of us who care about cycling any more grief.

                        

Shared Path Etiquette

An 80 year old woman, who was knocked down by a cyclist on a shared walk and bike trail in Arlington has died from head injuries. Incidents like these make me both sad and angry, because it could have been avoided if the cyclist had just slowed down.

Here is a lady who had lived to be a great age only to have her life ended abruptly, and unnecessarily; and the cyclist himself 62 years old now has to live with the fact that he killed someone.

I ride on a shared bike path during the week, weekends I ride on the road. I accept that it is a “Shared” path; people riding bikes, or walking with or without dogs, and others running, all have an equal right to be there. If I cannot accept that; I should not be on the path.  

I regularly see a twenty-something girl, probably a triathlete as she is always down on her aero bars riding very fast. She will sometimes pass me without any warning, and I gave up waving to her long ago as my acknowledgement of a fellow cyclist is always met with a blank stare.

I was talking to a neighbor of mine who regularly walks her dog on the trail, she told me this same girl shouted abuse at her for being on the wrong side of the path. It is this attitude of superiority by some cyclists that annoys the hell out of me.

People walk on either side of the path; they sometimes walk in groups taking up the whole path. They often wear ear buds or head phones and can’t hear my warning. They let their dogs run loose when by-laws state they should be on a leash.

It would be annoying if I allowed it to be, but this is the nature of shared path.

Cyclists on the road would not be annoying to motorists if they would just accept the fact that they have a right to be there and just deal with it. 

If I hit someone and fall I could injure myself; it is in my own interest to ride with caution around other pedestrians and cyclists alike. The onus is on me as the faster trail user to watch out for more vulnerable persons on the trail.

Is this not the exact argument we have on the public roads? The ones driving automobiles are the ones with the potential to kill or injure others; therefore the responsibility for our safety is largely up to them. How is it when the position is reversed and cyclists are the fastest, the rules change?

I always ease off the pedaling as I approach someone else on the trail. If there are dogs or children I will coast and be prepared to stop. I call out a warning, “On your left,” or “On your right,” depending which side they are on.

If there is more than one person and they are not clearly on one side or the other, I will shout, “Coming through,” and let them decide which way they want to go. Sometimes to shout on your “Left” or “Right” confuses people. I always say “Thank you” as I pass.

Most people riding bikes on shared trails are doing so for one reason; exercise. It is not a race with prizes for the fastest time. Actually by slowing down and speeding up again, I am actually increasing my rate of aerobic exercise.

If you ride on a shared walk/bike path, expect other people; deal with it. If you can’t, stay off shared paths, ride on the road and deal with motorized traffic.

Just because as a cyclist I am faster than most other trail users does not mean everyone else should watch out for me. It is the other way round; I have the potential to seriously injure someone, or even kill them. It is my responsibility to ride with caution for my own safety and that of others.

In the case of this unfortunate Arlington woman, one could argue that the cyclist was not at fault because he called out a warning and rang his bell, and then the woman stepped in front of him. How would any of us feel if a motorist said, “I didn’t slow down, but I sounded my horn and the cyclist turned in front of me.”

We all know that sounding a car horn can startle a cyclist and cause him to swerve. It appears that this elderly lady may have been startled and somewhat confused, as she turned around and stepped to the left. The cyclist has to be at least partially held responsible because he should have slowed to a speed where he could have stopped.