Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2014 i Bicycling

RRIDERS GATHER AND FORM A LOOSE CIRCLE in the parking lot of our Pennsylvania office. A few fiddle with the saddle height of their test bikes, while others assess whether they really need arm warmers. Folks who don’t work here roll up and predictable banter ensues. A few minutes after noon, people reflexively glance at their watches-the BICYCLING lunch ride is about to start. I went on my first lunchtime spin here during the summer of 2002. I rode a powder-blue LeMond and a pair of Sidis with a small hole in the side. I got dropped a bunch of times on that loop but the group kept waiting for me. I was hooked. Since then, I’m certain I’ve joined more than 1,000 lunch rides, so I guess I might…

Riding the rolling hills of Tuscany or catching a stage of the Giro d’Italia may still be on your bucket list, but you don’t have to travel far to get a taste of Italy. Trevor Morris and Chris Tan, co-owners of Gelataria Naia, craft 20 varieties of Bar Gelato, their version of the frozen Italian dessert on a stick. For Morris, a former junior bike racer, it started with a trip to Italy in 2001: “On the way home, I thought about the food I had eaten and realized I couldn’t find decent gelato in the Bay Area.” For Tan, it began in Berkeley, California, with his original Gelataria Naia store. The duo eventually teamed up, and today they’re churning out flavors such as Alba Farmers strawberry sorbetto (shown left),…

BY CATHERINE ARNOLD WHEN PHOTOGRAPHER SAM POLCER BEGAN snapping photos of New York City cyclists in 2012, his goal was “to make cycling look as good as it feels.” The self-proclaimed fashion nonexpert, who works for education and advocacy group Bike New York, wound up with arresting portraits for a book, New York Bike Style, and his blog, preferredmode.com. Q How did the project get started? I thought it would be nice to show real people riding bikes, on their way somewhere. An editor friend asked if I’d want to contribute to a book being shot by multiple photographers. I made a case for why I should be the only one to do it, thanks to my photography and editorial background [Polcer is a former magazine editor]. I decided to…

SITTING IN THE UNITED LOUNGE AT JFK AIRPORT, I flip through my passport and reflect upon the hundreds of flights I’ve logged guiding the US BMX team to international competitions. Long travel days and time-zone changes can take a toll on a cyclist’s body. With proper planning, however, you can minimize these effects. Here are some strategies my athletes use. MAKE A LIST Research your destination and decide what essentials you’ll need, including clothes, riding gear, bike, spare parts that may be hard to acquire away from home, special food items, reading material, and music. Just like with training, knowing you’ve taken the time to prepare will have a calming effect and make for a more relaxing travel day. CHANGE YOUR CLOCK One of the biggest performance hurdles for travelers…

1 / The carry-on-sized Dakine Odell Roller, with retractable handle and exterior pockets, is roomy enough (2,400 cubic inches) to hold a long weekend’s worth of riding gear—and a few casual summer-evening ensembles. Hopefully the Aloha print is a sign of where you’re headed. $130 2 / Light in weight and color, the slim-fitting Rapha Randonnée Shorts scream summertime city riding. Quick-drying, breathable fabric keeps you cool on sticky days, and an offset seam and high-cut back let you ride in comfort—and keep your lower back covered. $140 3 / The fifth-generation Timbuk2 Dolores Chiller messenger is inspired by Sapporo, Japan’s oldest beer brand. But this insulated messenger-bag insert doesn’t just let you surprise your friends with a bag of cold Asian lagers, it also helps you impress your date…

WINTER HAD BEEN UNKIND TO THE LONELY road that leads to Sutliff, a funky settlement of a few dozen houses along a wooded bend of the Cedar River, and now the road, in turn, was being unkind to me. Every turn of the crank seemed to plunge me into a fissure in the pavement and jolt me like a bullwhip—a reminder that in mid-spring my body still needed to toughen up for the riding months ahead. I didn’t mind. It was my birthday, and this ride was my gift to myself. I had cleared my afternoon schedule, performed a furtive change of clothes in my office, ducked out a side door, and sailed giddily down Dubuque Street. It was my ideal party of one. For years, I’d had a birthday…

THE CHILD’S BIKE, A MERCIER, LEANS AGAINST THE WALL, ITS FORK AND FRONT WHEEL MISSING, ITS STEEL FRAME TINTED WITH RUST. THE LIME-GREEN PAINT IS FADED AND SCRATCHED FROM DAYS AT THE RACES, TRAINING RIDES IN THE RAIN. THE BAR IS WRAPPED IN BRIGHT GREEN TAPE, AND THE TOE CLIPS NO LONGER HOLD STRAPS. THIS IS THE FIRST ROAD BIKE MARIANNE VOS EVER HAD. She was five when she received it, eight when she rode it in her first race. The bike was too big then, but she was impatient. Her father, Henk, a retired carpenter, attached the saddle directly to the top tube, and a band of rust still marks the spot where he placed the clamp. The bike sits in a shed behind Vos’s house that is crammed…

The roads through Henry Coe State Park form a favorite testing loop for members of Specialized’s product-development team, who work a few miles away in Morgan Hill, California. Gaining about 3,000 feet over 10 miles, the climb gives riders time to settle into a steady rhythm before short pitches as steep as 14 percent encourage them to stand and push hard into the pedals. From its highest point, the road descends back toward town following several sharp switchbacks and a few wide-open sweepers. Along the way, the surface transitions from ragged asphalt to smooth pavement. These variations make the loop ideal for exposing how well a bike climbs, descends, corners, and absorbs road shock. In mid-April, weeks before the company introduced the 2015 Tarmac to the public, I follow two…

{ SUPER L IGHT } 1 Sony HDR-AS30V This lightweight (90 grams) action cam comes with GPS, WiFi, and image stabilization to reduce the shakiness of footage taken on rough roads and rocky trails. Its simple controls, Carl Zeiss lens, bargain price, and excellent low-light sensitivity stand out, though it has fewer mounting options than the others we tested. PRICE $230 sony.com { EASY TO USE } 2 DXG IronX The IronX captures bright, sharp images that you can view on the illuminated LCD display in daylight. The wriststrap remote has its own screen that allowed us to see exactly what we were shooting. Audio cues would have made it easier to tell when we started or stopped recording. PRICE $250 ironxcam.com { HIGH TECH } 3 Garmin VIRB Elite…

Tori Bortman is the founder of the Portland, Oregon-based bike education business Gracie’s Wrench and the author of The BICYCLING Big Book of Cycling for Beginners (see p. 53 for an excerpt). “Writing this book was my opportunity to put together all of the information I had collected throughout the years in one place,” she says. “I wanted beginner cyclists to know that it’s okay to ask questions—everyone does.” Milwaukee native Sara Stathas, who photographed the Riverwest 24 (“The Best Day of the Year,” p. 82), reveled in the opportunity to participate in such a unique event near her old neighborhood. “People came with faces painted, heads shaved; some even got Riverwest tattoos,” Stathas says. “The ride showcases the city’s outpouring of support for the cycling community.” Stathas is now…

Q I need to bring anything on a supported century ride that has aid stations? YOU CAN SHOW UP EMPTYhanded at a century, but we don’t recommend it. Even well-supported rides offer mostly just the basics: sports drinks, gels, energy bars, bananas, and a mechanic or two for minor bike repairs. In addition to essentials like your ID, insurance and credit cards, some cash, a minitool, and flat-repair items, a few secret weapons can make the difference between surviving and thriving. For starters, pack your own snacks and drinks if the event doesn’t offer your favorites or you’re finicky. It’s always a good idea to wear emergency identification like Road ID. And bring sunscreen, lip balm, and a single-use packet of chamois cream, says Nick Nicastro, founder of SAGmonkey, a…

PREPARE Before the road rises, take a swig from your bottle, consciously relax your body, and maybe even slow down. When you start out tense, you’ll feel worse on the way up. If it’s hot, unzip your jersey a bit. DOWNSHIFT Get into an easier gear that lets you turn the pedals quickly without pushing hard. Once the chain is under a lot of tension, it becomes more difficult for it to move between cogs. CONSERVE ENERGY Keep your breathing deep and steady. If it’s hard to push down on the pedals, concentrate on pulling up. Resist the urge to gun it early. If you feel good as you approach the top, that’s the time to push. PLAY MIND GAMES Climbing is as much mental as it is physical. Experiment…

1 REPLENISHING Each 1.7-ounce gluten-free Power-ICE frozen electrolyte pop contains 25mg of sodium, 40mg of potassium, and 100 percent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C—and is free of dye, artificial flavor, and high-fructose corn syrup. Tangy varieties include pomegranate-raspberry, lime, orange, and grape. Tasters’ choice: Because there is no stick, this on-the-go treat is easy to slurp even when it’s melting. $5–$6/six bars 2 THROWBACK This chilly treat takes you back to summer nights chasing the ice-cream truck through your neighborhood. Only now, the Fudgsicle No Sugar Added Pops are lower in sugar and calories. Made mostly of nonfat milk, two 1.65-ounce pops provide 20 percent of your recommended daily allowance of calcium as well as a small helping of fat, fiber, and carbs. Tasters’ choice: These slim…

IN AUGUST 2007, AMBER NEBEN’S husband noticed that she had a mole on her back. Something about it—the irregular shape, the mottled color—seemed off. After observing it for a couple of months, Neben, then 32 and a two-time Olympian and world time-trial champion, went to a dermatologist and got the diagnosis everyone dreads: She had melanoma. “I was young and fit and thought I was doing everything right,” she says. “But I never thought to put sunscreen on my back. I assumed my jersey was enough.” Though the lesion required a deep surgical cut, Neben had caught it in time. “I was the first cyclist I knew of who went through this,” she says. But she is hardly alone. In the last three decades, more people have had skin cancer…

TRENDS IN THE CULINARY WORLD FOLLOW A circuitous route, from kale to bacon, from heritage meats to heirloom vegetables, and from farm to…table. Any list of these contemporary food crazes needs to include pop-up establishments—the temporary-by-design restaurants, coffee shops, and wine bars that open their doors for the first time knowing the date at which they will close. Here is my review of a pop-up I recently visited: The Feed Zone. Every good restaurant carves out a particular niche, and The Feed Zone’s signature is that it features exclusively to-go dining—furthermore, one can partake in the meal only if he or she arrives via bicycle, as part of a race. The menu is exclusively chef’s choice and is uniquely delivered in a cloth bag called a musette. Each member of…

CATEGORY ENDURO ( 27.5 ) REFINED RIDES FOR RACING OR RUGGED TRAILS SANTA CRUZ BRONSON C XX1 AM CTD PRICE $8,284 WEIGHT 26.9 LB. (M) INFO SANTACRUZBICYCLES.COM As we prepared to ride these finalists in western Arkansas, adjusting their suspension and installing pedals under cover of oak and hickory trees just beginning to bud, we were eager to find out which characteristics would prove decisive in this evolving category. Climbing speed? An ability to absorb bumps and roll over the roots and ruts on the Womble Trail? How easy they’d be to maneuver as we spiraled down bluffs overlooking the Ouachita River? We debated this as we rode, but after taking a lap on all three bikes we realized that the criteria mattered less than we thought: The Santa Cruz…

Eddy Merckx, who won 525 races in his career, would like to see more women stand on the podium. “He is a big fan of cycling as a sport for all—young, old, men, and women,” says Peter Vanham, USA product manager for Merckx Cycles. But until recently, none of the bikes that Merckx sold in the United States were designed for women. That changed with the EFX. To design the bike, Merckx used data that suggests women have relatively shorter torsos. So the company’s designers gave the EFX a shorter, sloping top tube and a longer head tube. This means a woman won’t have to tilt her pelvis as far forward to reach the handlebar—a maneuver that can increase pressure on the sensitive nether regions and also stress neck and…

EQUAL PROTECTION Most helmets sold in the US must meet the Consumer Product Safety Commission standards and offer the same level of basic protection regardless of price (make sure yours has the CPSC logo). They work the same way, too: Nearly every model has a hard exterior shell molded to an inner layer of EPS foam, which crushes upon impact to dissipate force during a crash. CHOOSE YOUR STYLE There’s a helmet for every type of rider. Road helmets prioritize weight savings and ventilation. Mountain bike helmets often have larger profiles to protect the back and sides of your head, and larger vents that encourage airflow at slower speeds. Stylish city-riding models can be heavier, but tend to have more durable exteriors to withstand the rigors of daily urban riding.…

I’m bothered by the callous attitudes of the riders in “The Lightest Night.” Before the bombing, police and the Boston Athletic Association tolerated the midnight ride. This year they merely asked riders to take a hiatus to see how things panned out on the first anniversary of the bombing. Was that too much to ask? Then maybe in a year or two organize a charity ride to raise money for the victims. PETER HIGGINS MEDFORD, MA Fuzzy Logic In reference to the May cover: With so much emphasis on aerodynamics these days, how much of a factor is body hair? Does a beard cancel out the efficiency gains of Zipp 404s? Will leg hair negate the promises of a Felt AR? Really, I just want to know if bearded road…

1 RIDE Felt’s Red Wolfe Cruiser is an overt nod to American Pickers TV host Mike Wolfe’s love of antique bicycles. The top tube of the three-speed postwar-balloonbike replica includes an embossed logo from Wolfe’s Antique Archeology store. The bike will be available in limited quantities this fall. $750 2 DINE Tour the local agricultural scene (and sample the wares) at Cycle to Farm, a hilly metric century in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Any purchases you make along the way will be delivered to you at the postride farm-to-table meal—or you can carry them in your free musette bag. July 19; $69 3 SNACK Made with a savory blend of almonds, pumpkin seeds, pea protein, honey, and spices, Kind’s new Strong & Kind bars are a welcome break from sticky-sweet…

MY NEW FAVORITE WORKOUT ASSISTANT A STRONG CORE is crucial to a solid pedaling platform. But it’s not easy to target all the muscles in that area, especially those in the deep inner core, which stabilize your back, support your hips and shoulders, and help transfer force between your arms and legs when you’re pedaling. The 9-inch Theragear Pilates Mini Ball, when used during classic core exercises, helps stabilize these muscles. Try this move two or three times a week. TRAINING What’s Your Max Heart Rate? USE THIS 211 MINUS 64% OF YOUR AGE This new formula to determine maximum heart rate is based on a study of more than 3,000 men and women ages 19 to 89. Though it’s not quite as simple, researchers say it is more reliable…

North Star Bicycle Festival MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL // June 11–15 A five-day stage race with an all-ages party built around it, North Star brings top pros to the Twin Cities to tackle spectator-friendly crits, road races, and a time trial. FOR PARENTS On Saturday, weekend warriors can try the same route as the racers—90 challenging miles of rolling hills—or dial it down to a 70-, 59-, 35-, or 15-mile version. FOR KIDS A daily 12-and-under Fun Race where everyone who rides a bike—sometimes 500 kids show up—gets a medal. Bike-stunt shows, bean-bag tournaments, and sidewalk-art contests keep ’em busy before the peloton flies by. Los Angeles River Ride LOS ANGELES // June 22 The flagship event of the LA County Bicycle Coalition raises dollars to complete the 51-mile LA River Bike…

FIVE PRODUCTS THAT PROTECT YOUR SKIN Dermatologists recommend Mission Sun Defeated Continuous Spray 50. It’s easy to apply (especially on your scalp), water-resistant for 80 minutes, and paraben-free. $10/5 oz. Don’t like the idea of sunscreen in your hair? The Specialized Deflect UV Beanie is made from a fabric that is moisture-wicking and has a UV protection factor (UPF) of 50. $25 If you ride in anything that’s not synthetic, throw it into the laundry with a packet of Sun Guard powder. Your duds will offer UPF 30 protection for up to 20 washings. $3/1 oz. The water-resistant Coppertone Sport Stick works for both lips and face. And it’s easy to stow in a jersey pocket. $6/0.6 oz. The UPF 40-plus Pearl Izumi Sun Sleeves are made of a lightweight…

GEAR UP Essentials for a new rider JERSEY It’s cut longer in back and shorter in front to cover the base of your spine and keep material from binding up at your midsection when you’re riding. It also has rear pockets to carry stuff. SHORTS They’re made of multiple panels of material to create a smooth, snug fit. And they include a chamois—a padded liner that protects you from soreness and chafing. SHOES If you’re using platform pedals—the kind you don’t clip your shoes into—go for the stiffest sole possible. Most road-riding shoes come with cleats that engage with the pedals, to maximize your power output (see opposite page). HELMET To be blunt: Wear one. Most helmets sold in bike shops meet the same safety standards whether they cost $40…

It’s 9:30 a.m. on a chilly-for-July day, nine hours before the start of Riverwest 24, but already a halfdozen friends and cohorts are shambling about Jeremy Prach’s side yard on the tree-shaded, 2600 block of Milwaukee’s North Pierce Street. Though everyone here has at least one assigned task—even Jeremy, who this year is the start/finish chief and director of philosophy—they’re having trouble staying focused, keeping it cool. What’s about to happen in their urban neighborhood of Milwaukee—the 24-hour race or ride or party or whatever it really is—has come to be known as, among other things, The Best Day of the Year, and Christmas in July. A few urgent agenda items pop up to provide a distraction: Someone has reported broken glass on the course, and no one is quite…

1 Arc’teryx Ether Comp Crew SS Go ahead, ride hard: The Ether’s reinforced shoulders will keep the straps of your hydration pack or commuter backpack from pilling the fabric. The top is also available in black, turquoise, and green. $70, arcteryx.com 2 Outdoor Research Dirtbag RV Tech Tee Ideal for hot days and hard efforts, the RV’s blend of natural and synthetic materials dries four times faster than cotton, OR says. Plus it is constructed with Fresh-Guard, a planet-friendly treatment that helps neutralize odors. $40, outdoorresearch.com 3 Chrome Mason Like Chrome’s popular messenger bags, the Mason is simple and durable. It’s made of a pleasantly soft wool blend, features tough double-layered shoulder seams, and has a generous length for extra coverage. $70, chromeindustries.com 4 Gore Apparel Essential Shirt The ethereally…

Q Can you give me a quick lesson on rear-derailleur adjustment? FIRST, MAKE SURE YOUR DERAILLEUR HANGER IS STRAIGHT—DROPPING OR CRASHING your bike could have damaged it. Shift into the highest gear (largest chainring, smallest cog), stand behind your bike, and eye the rear derailleur. If the hanger looks out of line, go to your shop to get it straightened or (if it’s a replaceable hanger) replace it. If it’s straight, check your limit screws (marked with an H for high and an L for low). With your bike in the highest gear, eye the derailleur again. If the teeth of the upper pulley aren’t in line with the smallest cog, use the high limit screw to align it. Then shift to the largest cog and use the low limit…