Race Report: Hub Labels CX

I am two weeks late with this one, so I'll keep it short.

That's how I felt after this race.

The course was good for me and I had good legs on the day. Unfortunately, my mechanic's skills weren't up to the level of my racing skills. The course had some off-camber turns, one off-camber descent into a steep hill (which I was able to ride if I could get the right line), some woodsy sections, one hill in the woods that would have been ride-able if the race director hadn't put big logs across it (just kidding, Joe!), and a little pile of rocks that you could totally ride if you got the exact right line.

I took the hole shot and led into the first part of the course. First time up the off-camber descent to run-up, I banged my rear wheel and heard it rattle. Ethel's rear quick release had come loose slightly. I stopped to open it, tighten it, close it. Lost about 3 places, but still had everyone in sight. Second lap, I went down in a corner that hadn't given me trouble before. Lost another place or two. Got back up and kept going. Went down in another easy corner, and heard my rear wheel rattling. Rear quick release was loose again. I'd just passed the first pit entrance, and had to go through a bunch of the course before I would pass the other side. A guy in the pit saw me looking for the pit entrance and volunteered to get my bike ready for me. I had to take all of the corners super easy because my back wheel was sliding out from under me. Entered the pit and got to switch bikes almost like a pro! Superstar teammate and former full-time bike mechanic Clay was in the pit to receive my bike. He saved my bacon on this race!

On my pit bike, I tried to start making up some ground. Brakes felt a little . . . not brakey. I managed to finish out that lap, but on a tight 180 around a tree at the start of lap three, my brakes gave up, I couldn't slow down, and I went right through the course tape and into the parking lot. Naturally, this happened right in front of the race announcer with tons of people standing around. I rode a slow circle in the parking lot. I'm pretty sure there are rules against going off course like that. Was I disqualified? Could I get back into the race? Did I even want to? Then one of my friends from the local scene said, "Jamie! Don't give up! Do you want to be in 15th place?" So I hopped back on the course and resolved myself to finishing super slowly . . . Until I saw Clay waving at me from the pit! He'd fixed my A bike, and I was able to change in the pit and get back to some hard racing.

My last lap was the best. I rode everything except for the uphill logs in the woods. I passed two of the women in the 1/2/3 race, which had started a minute before my race. I caught and passed a few more in my race. I was within sight of two more women in the finishing straight, but the end wasn't long enough to outsprint them. I finished 5th of 15, even with two bike changes! I was very satisfied with my racing, if not with my wrenching.

It's fun to think about how I would have done if all had gone well with my bikes. I've replaced Ethel's quick releases. Once I got Fred in the bikestand back home, I discovered that one of the pads on the front brake had come loose from its backing. No wonder it wasn't slowing me down--it was steel-on-steel! I think I could have finished second, maybe even first if I hadn't had the mechanical difficulties. Ultimately, though, it doesn't matter; taking care of your equipment and arriving to the race with your bikes squared away is part of racing!

Big, big, big thanks to Clay for being my pit crew, and congratulations to him for getting third place in the 35+ 3/4/5 race! Congrats also to Beth for getting 2nd in the women's 1/2/3, Chris for getting 4th in the men's 4/5, Eric for getting third in the 45+ 1/2/3!

New Bike Day

I wasn't planning to buy a new bike. But sometimes the bike chooses you.

One of the women in the local 'cross scene posted her 2014 Crux Pro on the DC Used Bicycle Marketplace. It had a SRAM Red groupset, hydraulic brakes, and came with two wheelsets: an alloy clincher pair for training and a Roval carbon tubular pair for racing. She was selling it for a song, with extra chainrings, chain, and rear cassette that she had laying around for it. And it was 46 cm--my size. I couldn't not check it out!

So Emily was a little surprised when she came home from traveling to Chicago for business, because there was a new bike in the stable (there are now 5). I've spent the last few weeks setting it up for me: lowering the saddle and the stem, adding new pedals and bar tape, learning how to glue (and now re-glue) tubulars onto carbon rims . . . I've never worked with tubulars, SRAM, or hydro brakes, and I still have much to learn.

But after 2 weeks of tinkering, she's finally ready to race. Her name is Ethel (Fred is my pit bike). The carbon tubulars will need to wait until the next race to make their debut, because the front one flatted on Tuesday and I need to go through the process of pulling the old one off and then regluing a new tubular. I present to you Fred & Ethel, making their debut at Hub Labels CX this Sunday!

Heeeeere's Ethel!

Fred and Ethel, ready to race!

Going Tubeless for Absolute N00bs

There's a running joke in the local women's cyclocross scene regarding my riding style: I'm like a bull, strong but completely lacking in grace. This came about after numerous pinch flats and a fellow racer suggesting that maybe I should learn how to ride (she put it more graciously . . . I think she used the word "floating"). But I proved last year that if there is a rock, root, or sharp drop-off from pavement to dirt I will find it, bottom out, and pinch flat by riding the least graceful possible line. This is one of my opportunity areas this season; I'm working on it.

But while I'm working on my ability to float around the course while bleeding out of my eyeballs from the effort of producing my modest wattage, I also switched to a tubeless set-up. The bike I bought last year (2016 Specialized Crux) came with tubeless-ready wheels and tires. So last November I went to my LBS, bought some Stan's NoTubes sealant and valve stems, and headed to my basement shop to set myself up for a pinch-flat-free existence.

Four hours (and four days, TBH) later I was ready to pull my hair out.

These instructions . . . are not very helpful.

The only thing I've experienced in home bike maintenance more frustrating that trying to seat tubeless tires is internal cable routing. I have ultimately figured both of those things out. But as I've just mounted new tubeless tires for the season (I've been running tubes in the off season), I'd like to share what I've learned through hard-earned experience (and through asking friends on Facebook).

I'm assuming that you already have tubeless-ready rims. Tubeless rims are designed with an extra secure interface for the tire beads so they'll hook in as securely as possible. They also need to be prepped with special rim tape to keep air from leaking through and to get the beads of the tires as close to the edge of the rim tape as possible. If you don't have tubeless-ready rims, there are conversion kits and ways to DIY them. I've never tried either, and your mileage may vary. My bike came with tubeless ready wheels, and these are the steps I followed to mount them (successfully) this second time around.

1. Stretch the tires. When you get new tires, they come all folded up, right? We need the beads to lock into the rims as tightly as possible, and folds in the beads will prevent that. So before you add sealant or soapy water or do any inflating, first put the tires on the rims and let them sit there for at least 24 hours. I go a step further and put them on the rims with CX tubes (fatter than road tubes in them) with relatively high pressure (60-80 PSI) overnight. Inflating tubes in the tires will get one side of the beads to seat in the rims right away, and will stretch the tires out so they'll lock into place more easily. I speak from experience when I say that taking the step of stretching the tires before you do anything will save time and frustration. And sealant. After letting the tires sit like that overnight, unseat one side of the tire and remove the tube. Note: Be very careful if you're using tire levers to remove your tires! If you slip with the tire lever, you can damage the rim strip and ruin the interface between rim strip, tire bead, and rim!
2. Install valve stems. Use a pair of pliers to screw the nut on as tightly as possible. That will pull the rubber part of the valve stem deep into the rim and help plug the valve stem hole more completely. These are a pain in the butt to get out, though.
3. Add sealant. If possible, hang the tire so it's suspended with the valve stem at the bottom. Seat most of the tire bead around the rim but leave a gap down at the bottom where the valve stem is. Pour sealant into that gap (directly into the tire) then carefully turn the tire so the valve stem is at the top and finish installing the tire on the rim. I get the big bottle of Stan's NoTubes sealant, but they also sell a smaller bottle (theoretically enough for two tires, but I'm skeptical) designed for putting sealant in through a removable valve core. If you want to go that route, you remove the valve core (there's a special tool for that, but you can use a pair of pliers if you're careful) and squirt the sealant in through the valve stem. Having the valve core out also makes inflation easier, because more air can get in through the valve stem than through the valve core. Which brings us to . . .
4. Inflate. This is where stretching the tire should pay off. Ideally, you use an air compressor for this step (you'll need valve adapters, probably), or one of these double-barreled floor pumps designed for seating tubeless tires. I've seen people recommend using a CO2 cartridge to quickly seat tubeless tires, but CO2 gets really cold inside the tire. It can freeze and break the beads (although that's the method advocated on the packaging of my Hutchinson tires, so maybe it varies by tire bead material). If all you have is a track pump, remove the valve core and pump as fast as you can. The principle here is to get as much air into the tire as quickly as possible so the tire expands all over and the beads push into place. If you're having trouble with this step, try using some soapy water (dish soap works fine) with a rag and wet down both sides of the tire. Not sure if it's lubrication that makes this work or if the surfactant in the soap changes how much air can escape, but it's a common trick to get tire beads to seat. Soapy water will also show you where air is escaping. I've also been able to sort of pull the beads into the rim with one hand to help ease the beads into place, but that only works if there are a few gaps. If none of these tricks work, I recommend walking away and having a drink or two then coming back and trying again. Or giving up and finding a new sport. If this ever turns into a blog about curling, you'll know what happened.
5. Spin, slosh, and shake. Once the beads have seated, you need to shake the wheel around so the sealant sloshes into all the nooks and crannies. Shake the tire in every direction you can think of. Hold it in front of you like a steering wheel and push and pull it vigorously. Steer it side to side. Lay it on its side and spin it, then flip and repeat. Bounce it up and down. If you're losing air mostly out of one side, let the tire rest horizontally, that side down, so the sealant has time to flow into that side of the wheel and seal all the holes. At this point, I would lay them both horizontally (cardboard boxes work well for this purpose, so that the cassette/disc/end caps of hubs have a place to sit) and walk away for a while. Come back after a couple of hours and flip them over. Leave them overnight. Go to sleep and pray that they still have air in them when you wake up.
6. Ride and check. The next day, assuming they still have air, inflate them to a little higher pressure than you'll normally ride them and go for a short spin. Check the air pressure carefully (digital gauge helps) before and after your ride.

Talking to a teammate/ex-mechanic, it seems like some tires hold air a little better than others, probably down to casing material; a more supple casing will deform better and give a smoother, grippier ride, but it will also be more porous. I had a helluva time getting my Specialized Tracers to hold air last season, but the Hutchinson Toros I'm running this season were no sweat. I'm probably better at the tubeless process, but I think the tires are easier, too.

If you're still having trouble with the tubeless thing, you can always just run tubes with some sealant in them. Or you can take them to your local bike shop and have them install them for you (although that costs more). If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below and I'll try to get back to you. Or visit my Facebook page and ask there! Good luck!

Update (8/29/2017): A teammate of mine (whose cross racing palmares are extensive) offered these extra tips:

1. Unless you really know what you're doing, don't try ghetto tubeless. Get tubeless-ready rims and tubeless tires. I know people who have made it work, but if you're an absolute n00b you probably won't and it will just frustrate you and drive you nuts.
2. Ride your wheels right after you first get them to seat and inflate. That sloshes the sealant around and lets you know right away if they're holding air (or not).
3. Eric seconds the recommendation for the Bontrager Flash Charger pump (one of the double-barreled floor pumps) and recommends using an air blow gun with a right-angle Presta chuck (often called a "crack pipe" adapter) if you have access to your own air compressor.

Additional note: I know that tubulars are better. They are also more expensive. Please don't leave comments explaining to me why tubeless is worth it because tubulars are so much better. This post wasn't for you.

New Bike Fit!

In the past two years, my body has changed. Part of that is down to being over 30. Part of it is my change in sports--no more running and swimming! Part of it is that I don't teach yoga multiple times a week anymore, and my flexibility from the time when I did teach 5-8 classes a week has now completely worn off.

When I first got my Felt AR5, I had a bike fit at my local shop Tri360 (which has since closed). The fit was from a F.I.S.T.-certified fitter, developed by SlowTwitch.com. The F.I.S.T. fitting system is very tri-centric, designed at a time when most bike manufacturers weren't developing bike geometries specifically for cyclists who need to be super-aero but also need to be able to run after riding. Which is to say that my bike fit, while very helpful for the Ironman training and racing that I did right after I got it, didn't suit my new path as a roadie. In fact, when I started road riding and racing again last winter, I re-tooled my fit on my own to be more road-friendly--both to increase my comfort and handling confidence for road riding and to stop my teammates from making fun of my triathlete fit.

But over the course of the past year I've gotten less and less comfortable on my saddle (a Cobb Gen 2 that was great for a TT position, but not very nice to my hoo-ha with a more laid-back road position), and I felt like I was limited in how low I could get over my bike. I tried messing with my handlebar position, my hood position, my saddle set-back; I had an overwhelming feeling, even after short rides, that I could be much more comfortable on my bike if I changed things around, but I was too lazy to put the time and effort into dialing my fit in myself.

So I outsourced the task to my sponsor bike shop, Spokes, Etc. Enter Anna, Spokes's pro fitter!

Anna is certified through Specialized's Body Geometry fitting program. I've been fit by a Specialized fitter before (back when I got my Specialized Transition). I like the Body Geometry system! It seems very thorough, much more so than the F.I.S.T.ing system (and yes, I know), like it takes more components of my individual body into account.

Here's a little before and after. See if you can tell the difference.

This is actually from right after I bought the Felt, not right before the fit, so it's not exactly how I had my bike set up before Anna worked on it.

And we live in a different house now. Notice the change of flooring!

There aren't a lot of obvious differences, although the one that stands out to me the most is the different in reach. The stack looks lower in the second picture, doesn't it? That's weird, because the saddle is much higher now than I had it right before. 

Saddle is lower, handlebars and stem are lower and rotated towards me slightly.

The pictures are kind of deceiving, because the only before picture of my bike I could find was from right after I bought it, before I had it fit for the first time. The changes we made this time were 

• Raising the saddle
• Moving the saddle back
• Lowering the stem
• Rotating the handlebars forward
• And adding a new saddle

I'm now on a Specialized Power Saddle and it's working for me pretty well. It's still not perfect, because balancing on a few inches of plastic/carbon and leather for several hours is not comfortable. But the saddle seems to hit me in better places, and I've had less trouble with chafing and saddle sores since switching from the Cobb saddle. I can get really low with this fit without my chest and ribcage getting in the way of my legs. Some of the soreness in my piriformis and right hamstring has cleared up, too. This fit has worked out really well for me (and it's roadie-approved)! Big thanks to Anna and Spokes, Etc. for the much-appreciated service!

If you've never been professionally fit, I recommend it. It'll run you $100-$200, depending on the shop you go to, but it makes a big difference in how you feel on the bike. For my money, not having saddle sores and chafing in my lady-parts is well worth the cost (and it's an easy sell for spouses/partners if you have to convince them that you need to spend the money, if you know what I mean). Most shops will give you a free or discounted bike fit after you buy a bike from them, so check into that if you're in the market for a new bike.

I'll try to pull together some information on bike fitting and saddle choice soon, so if you can't swing the cost of a pro bike fit you can try to at least improve your position on your own. With that, thanks for reading!

PSA: Always Check Before You Ride!

I did an easy-ish ride this morning to take advantage of the beautiful spring weather before the forecast afternoon thunderstorms hit. On the second half of my ride, I started to feel extra tired. I chalked it up to being hungry for lunch, but then I heard a rubbing sound and realized that my front brake had gone off-center. I re-adjusted it and kept riding. It happened again a little bit later, and again a little bit after that. For the last 20-30 minutes of my ride, I was thinking hard about what could cause my brake to keep pulling to the same side, especially since it was pulling clockwise--away from the direction that the cables pull.

When I got home, I dismounted and gave the brake one last wiggle to see if I could feel any play. The brake felt fine, but the wheel moved.

Let me repeat: the wheel moved.

The quick release on my front wheel was loose. I don't know if it came loose at some point during the ride (unlikely), or if it's been like that since I put the front wheel back on after Sunday's ride. But that is a very dangerous problem to have. If my front wheel had come off at high speed, I probably would have been visiting the hospital right now instead of writing this blog post.

Consider this your public service announcement to check your bike before every ride! Here's a list of quick things to check before you head out:

1. Quick release skewers. Be sure they're secure and tight and lined up properly. Check for any side to side play in the front or rear.

2. Wheels and brakes. Give the wheels a quick spin to check for wheel true and brake rubbing. While you do that, eyeball the tires to make sure there's nothing stuck in the rubber. While you're at it, check the tire pressure and inflate your wheels to your preferred pressure.

3. Check the brakes by grabbing the front and rear brake and pushing forward and backward. With the front brake on, the front wheel should stop and the bike frame rotate forward. With the rear brake on, the rear wheel should stop and (if anything) the whole bike should scoot back. Neither wheel should slip against the brake pads, though.

4. Make sure the chain is lubed. Some people lube their chain before a ride, but I usually clean and lube my bike after every ride. Doesn't matter, so long as the chain isn't dry.

You should also wash and check your bike regularly. Ideally, you'd wipe the bike down and de-grease the drivetrain after every ride, but I know sometimes that's not possible. Definitely do it after every wet, rainy ride, though, and try to get it done at least once a week. While you're at it, check the chain for wear (you need a chain wear tester for that job, but they're not expensive). Clean the brake pads and check them for wear. Check your wheels and tires for true and for any little sharp bits that have lodged themselves in your tires. And check the brake track on your wheels for wear.

It doesn't take much time or effort to check your bike, but you do need a little bit of knowledge. I recommend SickBiker and Global Cycling Network, both of which have detailed and informative maintenance guides on their YouTube channels. You shouldn't need to take your bike to the shop for every little thing. And you need to be able to do enough to keep yourself safe on your rides.

Stay safe out there!

BB30 Problems

My bike is creaking.

It has been creaking for the past several months. It started shortly after I got back from Spain. I thought it was my rear wheel, or possibly related to the rear derailleur.

Take the bike in for examination. Wheel fairly true, rear derailleur jockey cage bent. Replace the rear derailleur. Still creaking. But it's the winter and I'm not riding that much or that hard, so I don't notice.

Then I start riding with my team. It becomes an issue. It becomes embarrassing. "Jamie, I thought you got that fixed!" I'm getting concerned that it's the frame itself, and make an emergency stop at a sponsor shop at a race. They take a look at the frame, specifically a spot on the seat tube where a paint chip came off in the first week I had the bike. They say it's probably just cosmetic, but take it to my LBS just to be sure. Also, I have a bolt missing on my derailleur hanger, which is probably why the jockey cage bent in the first place. They replace the bolt, true my wheel slightly, and send me on my way free of charge. If you are ever in Hyattsville, Maryland, stop into Arrow Bicycle and spend some money with them!

Take the bike to my LBS (the one that deals Felt). They say the paint chip is no big deal; it's just paint. Advise cleaning out the seat tube/seat post area and applying more carbon assembly paste to fix the creaking. We do that. Still creaks.

Take my bike to a teammate who used to be a mechanic for a second opinion. His girlfriend had the same problem with her cross bike. Apparently, this is a common thing for BB30s. Everyone knows this. Apparently the manufacturers don't really care. We add some loctight compound and lots of grease to the BB bearing cartridges to try to keep them from wiggling. Cross fingers.

Still creaking!

Take my bike to my LBS (the one that sponsors the team), desperately hoping that something can be done before I do this race this weekend. We take out and rebuild the bottom bracket. Bearings don't feel as smooth as they should. Apparently, BB30 bearings tend to degrade faster, because they get dirt, water, grit, etc. inside them. Manufacturers apparently know, but (again) don't really care. We order this, and rebuild the bearings in the hopes that it will tide me over for this weekend.

Bike still creaks.