Hanging Out At The Bar

Picking out handlebars and saddles for Tommaso's bikes is like buying clothes…for someone else. It’s a personal fit area that requires a lot of attention. There are a couple points of contact from human to bike that are critical for the product guys to get right. The seat and the handlebars are the ones I concern myself with most. Most customers have an idea of what pedals they want to use so I don’t lose too much sleep over that area. For me the focus is the hands and saddle area. For today we are going to look at road handlebars.

Most road handlebars come in 3 common widths: 400mm, 420mm and 440mm measured center to center at the ends of the bar where the tape plugs are inserted. Of course some manufacturers measure “center to center” and some “outside to outside”. Yes, there are wider and narrower bars but these three are the most common. The old rule of thumb being bars that match the width of your shoulders are the right bars for you. Generally we divide the bars up along the frame sizes that best suit the size of the rider. Smaller bikes get smaller bars. Big bikes get the bigger bars. Easy enough.

Then there’s the little issue of clamp diameter. There are two popular sizes on the market, 26.0 and 31.8 (a.k.a oversized). The theory being that the larger diameter of the tube will allow for less material and yet still be safe and light. Kind of like the slender tube diameters of a steel road bike in relation to the fat tubes found on an aluminum bike. Some have added that the extra material allows for better clamping as well.

Oh wait, now there’s the bars bend to consider. Ergo, anatomical, classic, traditional, compact, and a couple other buzz words to descried the shape of the bar and mainly the drops (the area your hands visit when you are sprinting or really getting low and producing power. The three common hand positions are tops, hoods and drops. The tops area is to the left or right of the stem. Tops are a good place to be when you are climbing. The hoods are the rubber-coated area on the shift/brake levers. This is the most used area as your hands are able to shift and brake as needed. The drops are the lower part of the bar. I prefer an “anatomical” or “ergo” bend as it fits my hand better. I like to grip the bar like a weapon. Lance Armstrong prefers a traditional bend (or so it has been reported). It seems to work pretty well for him.

Not done yet, now there is the “drop.” This is the distance from the bottom of the drop (as it return to horizontal position) to the top of the bar. Like the bend, the drop is an area of careful consideration for many riders. A shallow drop makes for a less dramatic change from hoods to drops. A deep drop makes a bigger change in position and also takes more material so the bars are usually heavier. I prefer a shallow drop as I leave my stem pretty low and a deep drop is too much.

Did I mention reach? Well reach is how far out the bar reached before curving downward. This is an often over looked measurement but can be just as important as stem length. A centimeter here and there adds up. If your shifters seem to be just out of reach a shorter stem or smaller reach can help make for a better fit and feel.
Steel, aluminum or carbon? Most people jump right to carbon and that is OK. Carbon is light, tough but unfortunately pricey. A lot of pros prefer to use aluminum bars. The rigors of the road dictate they need the strength of aluminum. With the higher occurrence of crashes in the pro peloton an aluminum bar will come out fighting. A stress riser from a crash on a carbon bar is a glaring question mark that will keep you wondering. Steel bars are rare as they are far too heavy and are usually found on bikes that are sold in places you can buy 10-pound barrels of pretzels and detergent.

As with most things cycling specific the information could go on for another couple pages. I hope this brief overview gives you a better understanding about road handlebars and the thought that Tommaso Bicycles puts into getting every part right.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the ride!

Tough

It's Sunday night and I am doing the usual basket of nasty cycling and running laundry. For those making a schedule, Sunday is laundry, Tuesday and Friday are leg shaving days and Thursday night is groceries. Anyway, the water is filling up the washing machine and as thrown in a handful of shorts I see a spider come running out of one of the pockets. I like spiders so I am trying to save the little guy. Mr Spider is running around the clothes looking for a way out. I grab a Velo News magazine from the bathroom and tear out the subscription card to use as a way out for the spider. I know if I try to pick this sucker up with my fingers I’ll probably do more damage than good. As I reach in for the spider he disappears down a pant leg and then the water covers the exit…he’s a goner. I finish dumping in the rest of the clothes and go make pasta (Angel Hair in his honor).

As I am apt to do with a busy work/training schedule I forget the laundry for a day and Monday night it dawns on me that I am missing a lot of workout clothes. I’m in a lazy mood and want to go to bed so I throw 99% of the clothes in the dryer. A cardinal sin for fine workout garments, I know. As I am about to close the door to the dryer the spider pops out and drops to the floor and starts walking away! I swear he was looking at me like "Is that all you got?" Now that is one tough spider! I get out of its way and open the door so he can go outside.

That is what I love about tough people, animals and now spiders. The real tough ones never have to tell you they are tough. They just are, and you notice. They say if you have to tell everyone how fast you are you probably aren’t very fast. In other words, let your riding (running or swimming) do the talking. “Less lip and more rip!”

Now trash talking falls into a whole different category. Trash talking amongst friends is a time-honored tradition. I’ll be the first to admit that if I could race as well as I trash talk I would be a Champion. I learned it from the long road trips in cramped cars with teammates. Just be careful that your mouth doesn’t write a check your legs can’t cash. I once told a guy I was going to “Tear off his legs and put them in my jersey pocket to send them home to his mama.” I even told him the climb I was going to do it on. Well I did pull it off that day and crushed him. A month later on a different climb the same dude dropped me so hard I would have had to dial a “1+ area code” to reach him on the phone. He was in another state by the time I caught my breath. It reminded me of another line I used during a group ride before work: “I’m going to check out on you like Motel 6, I’ll leave a light on for you.” Go ahead and use it sometime. No need to footnote me.

Yeah, I know…shallow like a kid’s pool. Rumor has it us “roadies” are like that. Last time I was at the doctors the technician wiring me up for an EKG (to check out my slow ticker) was chatting about cycling. He went on to say “You’re not one of those roadies are you? You know…the tight clothes with matching helmet and the Oakleys? I can’t stand those guys. They are so smug with their shaved legs and expensive bikes. What is it that you do again?”

I replied “I make Tommaso road bikes and to make matters far worse, I’m a triathlete.”

Grip of Death

Racing can be fun, spiritual and sometimes downright nasty. I have had my share of all aspects of racing.  Great days when the course seemed made for my strengths, to days when I have rolled back to the parking lot with a blown-out tube hanging from my jersey pocket deflated (me and the tube). I have been pushed (and pushed back), punched, yelled at, wrecked, ganged up on, trashed talked and almost thrown-up on! Out of all of these aspects of racing the one I enjoy is the Grip of Death…also know as G.O.D.

The Grip of Death is not exclusive to me, nor can I always pull it off. It takes a great deal of strength and confidence to get it right. Failure to do so can lead to embarrassment and frustration. Bjarne Riis used the G.O.D. in the 1996 Tour, on stage 16 in the mountains. Here is how the grip works:

If you are in a break away, or mano-a mano with a competitor (best used here) the G.O.D. can be a handy tool. I taught myself to use “The Grip” during 5K and 10K races. It also has worked well on the bike. If you can’t seem to lose a fellow competitor, especially one with the same age group written on their calf as you, I would try this trick. While running side by side start with a little surge of maybe 5% over current speed. I like to use this in the corners as it seems to catch people off guard. Then idle back and let them catch back up. You don’t want to upset them…you want to destroy them.

After about another minute or two, try another little surge. Upping the tempo on a little hill works well. The goal is to not make the surges look like attacks. The goal is to get the competition to think they are fading. This is the “Grip”. If you can put doubt in a competitor’s mind the battle is almost won. If you piss them off…the battle has just begun. I know this from telling a Clydesdale I was impressed with his use of his weight and gravity on a downhill during the bike leg of a tri in Georgia. It pissed him off and for 45 seconds he kicked up into the red zone to chase me down for a mile or so and then did an “M-80.” Oh yeah…he blew up!

So, now that you have a little doubt seeping into the mind of the competitor it is time to bring the “Death” part of the equation. When you have fully recovered from the two surges, drop back a few inches from the field of vision of the competitor. Let him forget you are there…he may think you are the one that is fading. Now s-l-o-w-l-y pull up next to him (a look of ease on your face helps) and lengthen your stride and hold on for a good minute. You don’t have to go into the red but you will be working. DO NOT LOOK BACK! Just keep going. In four minutes or so sneak a peek as you round a corner. If done correctly, the G.O.D. should have been too much for the competitor and he/she will be gone. If at this point your competitor is still in your zip code you have a fight on your hands. Start cooking the corners and making slight gaps. It will annoy the crap out of them. Remember: gaps=doubt. If you still have company it will probably go to the finishing sprint. Don’t start the sprint from front. Stay at the competitor’s side and wait until they start the sprint. At this point give it all you have no matter how much it hurts. The pain will be gone 45 seconds after the finish. The disappointment will last for hours…or until you get to the nearest Wendy’s for a vanilla Frosty.

By the way…if you try to “Grip of Death” me I have another little “something” I guarantee you will not like.

Happy training!

Keeping Calm

Yeah...that's room service. A burger with an egg on it and a beer. Shanghai is killing me! My training has gone straight down the Ironman porta-jon. I am trying not to go ballistic as my body is getting soft. Traveling is hard enough. Traveling around the world and trying to stay fit is almost impossible. The time change, the odd food and less than tolerable workout facilities are daunting challenges to any athlete. Keeping clam is key and pre-planning is paramount.

Squeaky wheel rule applies when tying to train on a trip, especially a business trip. Emailing hotels and investigating the facilities online is a must. Keep in mind that photographers are paid to make the tiny pool look like an Olympic size swimmer’s dream. On this current trip to Taiwan I even went as far as using Google Earth satellite maps to see the actual outside pool.

When I crossed over to Shanghai for the remainder of my trip I ran into a glitch. The hotel I booked has a 25 meter pool but it isn’t conducive to proper training. It is located upstairs from a KTV (Chinese disco-karaoke). This means if I want to swim I have to walk through a night club (afternoon and evening) with…um…”ladies of the evening” asking me to obtain their services. Not a scene you want to enter into wearing a Speedo. The pool’s water quality is questionable at best. The chance to get sick is very high. My last trip to Asia gave me a stomach parasite that worked me over for a month.

With swimming out I decide to try the gym to run on the treadmill. Same issue with the disco, but a new glitch is found upon arriving to the workout room. The weights, bike and single treadmill is next to the pool and the air is like a sauna. Now the interesting mix: The room is also a hang-out for those wishing for “men of the evening.” Not a scene you want to enter into wearing super short Brooks running shorts. As I arrived to the sub-par treadmill there are four shirtless males wearing only swimming suites very excited to see me. The only workout I got that night was jogging back to my room. For the record, this is a 5-star hotel and the nicest in the area. Shanghai Surprise!

The food is a disaster when traveling. At least it is for me. Half my suitcase is my own training food. Energy bars, bagels, pretzels (none in China), Fig Newtons, G2 powder mix and Power Gels are a must in the land of rice and…um…is that beef? Some handle the fried octopus at the Pizza Hut better than others. I stick to steamed white rice and corn soup as much as possible. Until I recover from this trip...happy training and thanks for reading.

Balance

Life is all about balance. Eat too many salty foods and you need to balance it out with water (ok…beer). Stay up too late and you need to sleep more. If you drive a big Cadillac Escalade and wear $150 jeans you are probably trying to balance out the fact that…well, you get the idea. Live near the mountains for great training and you get some funky weather…and this past weekend it snowed. It was supposed to be 50 degrees and sunny, and out the window it is all snow.
Training is tough. Training for a huge event seems to find a way to make life even tougher. I’m not complaining…more of explaining. Explaining why there are clothes on the floor, gel packages in piles and water bottles around the house like small monuments of the damned. The bed is always in a constant state of twisted sheets with The Stick defiantly ruining the comfort of down pillows and fine linens. Showers are usually at the gym with unwanted onlookers and meals are shared with a PC to update the latest yards, miles and kilometers. All in all the life is good.
Of course this life isn’t cheap. It takes gear, a coach, race fees, plane tickets and food, food and more food. It takes a lot of coin to support the road to the Ironman. So having a good job to balance the expense is important too. The best part about work/career time is that you can turn off the training and sink into another world. You know for 8-10 hours a day you can forget the taste of chlorine, staring out the top of your eyelids on the bike and the pounding of the legs on the ground. Being a dedicated athlete makes for a dedicated employee. When you are looking to bring out the best on race day the same applies to one’s work.
If you train hard you have to rest and recover just as hard. So as I awoke from my afternoon nap and went to my massage I was feeling a little guilty. Who am I to be taking naps and getting massages? Shouldn’t I be organizing the garage, washing the car or doing my taxes? Sure, I could be doing more chores instead of swimming, biking and running, but what would I look back on as I dance with the Grim Reaper at the end of my life? Would I think about the amazing days of training and racing? Or would I remember the moments wondering if my red pillow cases are going to bleed in the wash? Yeah, the guilty feelings went away pretty quick.
Find your balance!

I am at the Red Robin Restaurant staring at a huge Whisky River BBQ Burger that is covered in fried onion strings perched high above a bed of fries. It is hard to believe that this is the road to the Ironman. You know the Ironman: 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and a little 26.2 mile run thrown in at the end just for kicks. My coach, Carole Sharpless, is across the table from me squirting a huge stream of ketchup into the basket of additional fries we ordered. “Eat” she says, “you will need it.”

This journey will take me to Ironman Louisville in August. That is if I can get to the start line healthy and alive. The race is a little over seven months away and the training is already absorbing most of my life outside of work. There will be injuries (currently a bad right hamstring) and drama (newTommaso prototype tri bike arrives in March). You have to respect the race. I know this because I have been around the sport for a few years. I've taught clinics, wrenched for the pro athletes and even raced (all but the big one) when I wasn't working the race. Trust me when I say you want to be in on this ride.

During my time preparing for the Ironman I will let you in on my training and the development of Tommaso’s first tri bike that will debut at Ironman Louisville. Along the way sponsors and my coach will chime in with in-depth thoughts on the training and the technology I will employ on this great journey.  There will also be video of cool new products and concepts you will see here first.

Bookmark this BLOG and check in when you have time. For now I am back to picking colors for Tommaso’s 2010 mountain bikes. This is a new addition to the Tommaso family and I think you are going to love what you see. I’ve only traveled around the world 4 times to put it all together.

Stay tuned!