Opinion: Base Layers in Summer?????

Opinion: Base Layers in Summer?????

OK, this might seem odd, and I am sure the jury is out of this one, but I am keen to know your thoughts on base layers I the summer. 

I was introduced to this concept by an ex elite who now runs a cycle camp in southern Spain.  When you want to really experience dry heat, there is no better place and things get sweaty!  As like every Fred that has come before me, I look to the pro and ex pro for guidance, from leg shaving to glasses/helmet strap position.  What struck me as odd was that in 34 degree heat he was wearing a base layer and not only that a wool one.

For many, and at that time myself included the idea of wearing a base layer in summer was strange.  Surely more layers means warm, right?  Well according to him.  Wrong.  The theory is that it traps sweat, as it evaporates; it cools and hence acts as A/C for the bike.

Well you can’t argue with Science! So I gave it a go. 

To be honest with you I am in too minds about it. 

The Stink Factor!

On one level it removes a level of what can only be described as Cycle Smell.  Those familiar with Ice Hockey will know of Hockey Smell.  Whiles not as bad as this, still not great.  The main reason for this is the use of synthetics in cycling clothing; oh year and sweating like a pervy history teacher.

“sweating like a pervy history teacher”

Trust me on this one, if you commute, the use of the light wool base layer will mean that your colleagues will stop keeping a 5m distance when you rock up at work or leave on your way home.

The Wind Through your Chest Hair:

The flip side of the argument is the feeling of unzipping and letting the wind dance round your man chest-bush!  With a base layer you just don’t get that feeling and when things get hilly, you can feel confined whereas with the jersey unzipped you fool yourself cool.  This is the reason why I do not buy half zip jerseys.  Although I rarely go full Unzip I still feel less confined with at least the option.

The Verdict

Well, there is not one.  This is something that comes down to personal preference.  If have not tired it, I recommend that you do.  A good base layer is always useful.  For me, on a normal hot day in Sydney I will wear one, but once things get past 30 I ditch it.

There are a few that I have tried that are worth considering:

Rapha Base Layer: 

I know what you are thinking, overpriced, but they perform really well and last for ages.  The other plus is that they are a super fine merino wool and very light.  They are quite meshy and still give a bit of air flow.  As they are wool, they do not stink and are great for commuters.

9/10 - Great and Natural - Bit Pricey

Helly Hansen:

They make some great light weight synthetic base layers.  They are not get on air flow but their sleeveless summer ones are soft and last to abuse.  They are better for warmer days but get kind smelly quickly.

6/10 - Ok but there is better out there for the money

Castelli:

The open mesh design looks like something that you will see in the off SoHo men’s club.  To be honest, I have tried this one and can not see the point.  It does not feel as though it is doing the job and just for looks.  This is just my opinion and I have met people who swear by them.

5/10 - Just not my thing, nor effective

Icebreakers:

These are so soft and when it comes to Skiing I would not use anything else.  They have started making lighter weight ones, but even then they are a tad heavy for summer cycling.  Best reserved for the fall or winter.   They last well, but to do not wash as well and Rapha.

7/10 - Bit warm but super soft

Sidi Ergo 3 Review

Product Review:  Sidi Ergo 3 Vent

You may recall that I am a HUGE fan of Sidi.  They are by far and away to most offensive and loud cycling shoe on the market and let’s face it that is exactly what a cycling shoe should be. 

There are few sports where you can get away with dressing like a pimp.  Gold, Skiing and Cycling come to mind and Sidi are a vital component to this look.

Looks! Ummmm tasty!

The there is no doubt that they are pretty.  The question is, for the loyal Ergo 2 customers, are they much different. Yes they are lighter than the Ergo 2 Lite, yes they have more venting, but aesthetically they are almost identical.

“Aesthetically they are almost identical”

Fit

The fit is snug, however there is a tad more to room in the toe box.  This was a bit of a grip with the old Sidis in that they needed to break in before they were super comfy.

The heal grip is great as ever and there is no chance from the Egro 2s.  The fact that you can choose the fit across the entire shoe means that with a bit of tweaking they will never give you grief even on the longest of rides.  The ratchet and fasteners remain unchanged and the upper is more or less the same.

So where is the difference?

There are lots of little things, like the toe vent and the shape of the sole which is give marginal changes but the big plus is the stiffness of the sole.  The Ergo 3s are approaching Bont territory in the stiffness game.  This feels great is sprints and on the turbo, but when holding in with the peloton the Ergo 2s did a fine job.

“The Ergo 3s are approaching Bont territory in the stiffness game”

Still Crap!

The only thing that is a draw back on the all Sidis is the insistence of the world’s worst foot bed.  Basically it is made from the thinnest, least supporting material known to man, and I now have 3 sets of Sidi foot beds new and untouched. To be honest, they really missed a trick here.  It is low cost, but would have make the 3s stand out.  

My advice:

The Ergo 3s are an evolution not a revolution and to be honest I think that they should have been called Ergo 2 Vent.  Never the less, if you your Ergo 2s have ridden their last and it is time for a change you will be happy as ever with the 3s.  I am sure there will be many who feel that they must have the latest and greatest for the tap dance around the coffee shop, but not worth ditching your 2s just ‘cause you “need” the 3s.

“the latest and greatest for the tap dance around the coffee shop”

Groupo Compacto

Groupo Compacto

The new age-old question.  Compact or standard?  Rouleur or Fred?  Cippo or Chip?

Having started my cycling career in the UK and now in the Land down under there is have been many thoughts on the matter. 

I remember being in a French sportive with a few British riders when a Frechie, we will call him Pepe came up to us and started chatting away.  Before no time he looked down, squinted and smiled.  At first I was a tad worried that he was admiring my chamois position but to soon became clear that he was more concerned with the size of my “Outer Ring”.

A mate of mine (ex Elite) and a damn good ride was rocking a Triple as the course was over 3 uncategorised climbs.  Pepe looked at him and without a word exchange exclaimed in true French distain.  

“mon due a Triple, you must be Roast Beef!”

Of course he was right.  In the UK we seems not to give a damn about Compact or Standard, but still a triple is for girls and grannies. Never the less, in the flat country of the southeast (box hill does not count as a climb) we still have a love of a more civilised gearing.

In Aus however it is a different story.  Down under the idea of a smaller gear is seen as defeat before the race.  The North Shore of Sydney is by no means the Alpe but the likes of Bobbin Head, Galston and Berwera Waters will knacker you out if you rock a 53-23 for too long.   Never the less, the Rugged Lycra clad men of this fine colony insist that they are going to contest the sprint to the coffee shop and as Mario and Cav before them, must push the biggest gear known to man.

And Old Man B is behind Old Man C and with Old Man A coming around the outside on the line.... Old Man A takes it!

 

I however sit apart.  I am 90kg and not a mountain goat.  I love the climbs and seek them out when I can.  It is the inbuilt masochism of every cyclist to inflict the most amount of pain they can before the sun comes up on when is supposed to be a day of rest.   Still, making 9% feel like 20% is not my idea of fun. 

For a long time now, I have sported a 11-28 and a compact.  I know what you are thinking, “you wimp” but it gives me the most options without the need to keep swapping out cassttes.  I can climb and a high enough cadence to feel like am making progress and pull on the front and push a good gear. 

11-28 Baby!

 

The only time I feel under geared is on the docents.  This is not so much of a problem as my Testicular Fortitude does not match the speeds that I can reach if pushed.  In fact, since the arrival of the Little Cippo (now 4 months) I have been descending like Mrs Daisy.   There is something about being a new dad that means that you feel compelled to by a Baby Tank (aka a 4x4) and start to believe that every motorist is out to kill you when you are on the bike. 

So what is my advice on the Compact Vs Standard Vs Triple debate?  Nowadays there is no need to look at the triple set up unless you morning commute involves the Passo di Gavia, followed by Motirolo.  With Sram Apex offering riders the same gearing without the weight or the damage to the “Street Cred” it is a very viable option.  Still the fact that is a dedicated group set, it still advertises to the world… I need some help.

With the advent of 11 speed I feel that the compact has come in to its own.  First Campy now Shimano the 11 speed era is here.  As with the Gillet Mac 3, Mac 4 and soon to be 22 blade razors this is set to ever increase offering more for less.

My set up of a compact with 11-28 might been a bit much for some, but a 11-27 or 11-25 gives all to tweaking you need, and still the get out of jail free card offered by a compact. 

My next set up will be the new Dura-Ace 11 Speed.  I will go mechanical; as despite the love of Di2 my wallet feels compelled by the argument, if it isn’t broke don’t fix it. 

Ode to My Man Cave: Nirvana at last!

The concept of a man cave conjures up different things to different men.  All of us non-fairer of the sex all have their own unique concept of what a man can should be and what it should be used for.

Some think, beer, TV, nudie posters and pinball machines others, a He-Man-Woman-Hating Club of sanctuary.  All of these are equally valid and impressive but to a cyclist there is an added need and function to the man cave.

When I began my foray in to cycling I lived in Central London.  My now fiancée and I at the time lived in a 2 up, 2 down Victorian terrace house with no garage, no shed and no viable space for a man cave.   In addition, as all keen cyclist, I would be damned if I was going to pay some chup at the local bike shop and small fortune to fix and flat, or dial in my rear derailleur.  Damn it all I was going to learn.  And learn by doing. 

So with my bike sitting on its saddle and chain stays in the air and spread like a $5 hooker I would tinker around with rag, degreaser (the magic liquid) and multi tool in hand.

Now with no man cave this was not only futile, but also dangerous as I was “forced” to use the only suitable room in the house…. The Kitchen.  After a short while 1 bike became 3 and now the Kitchen became and workshop / parking garage of the 2 wheel variety.   This was only going to last so long until the mrs became the ex.  Still, what it a man to do?

When the opportunity came to move, we where on it like a flash.  From London Greenwich park to Sydney’s Upper North Shore we packed our house for the 3 month shipping across the world and make sure to take at least one bike on the plan so that we could “keep our form” and we moved.

There were only 2 provisos when looking for a house.  The Mrs wanted a garden and I “needed” a man cave. 

Building a Man Cave:

A man cave is not a function of the space, but what you put in it.  As such, no two man caves are alike as no two men are a like.  We will each have a different concept of utopia and strive to turn this in to reality.   There are some things that we share and they seem to make them in to most man caves. The main one that I have noticed is the need for a nudie poster.  It is a good as any place to start and really set the scene for the man only part of the house. 

Nudie Posters / Calendar

As cyclist we have Cycle Passion!  Sweet Jesus.  It is bike porn heaven.  Only only are there shots of carbon Ti sexiness, but Boobs!  And Cyclist Boobs to boot!  Boobs man, boobs!  Who ever though of this concept should be Knighted.  This is a must for the man cave.  Now, I do not know what I did in a previous life to deserve this but the MRS actually bought me the latest calendar without me even asking.  She understood why a man cave is and what it need to be.

Not the prerequisites of sexiness!  Pinarello Dogma (check), Smoking Hot Brunette (Check), proof of Cycling Credentials note the tan line.  Enough said, HOT!

Tool Wall:

For me this was the big one and the main reason why I was dreaming of a man cave for so long.  I wanted a place that I could have all my bike tools where I could see them.  Ensure that I had every tool for the job and tinker away till I was blue in the face. 

The need I feel sprang from two places.  Firstly, my Granddad used to have his own man cave.  Built up over decades, with every power tool you could imagine he would build things, often for no reason, but hell, he could do it.  I remember that we used to have to save baby food jars, so that he could devide each and every short of screw and bolt. He even would build things for the man cave so that he would build more things.  That is cool anyway you look at it.

The other came from working in a bike shop.  I realized just how straight forward most things on a bike are and that given enough time with the Park Tool catalog you could fix just about anything.  Also, why buy a bike when you van build, or rather assemble.

In the spirit of my Gramps I decided not only to get a tool wall but to build one.  For this you will need tool.  Hence the chicken and the egg.

Basically all you are talking about it s bit of MDF and some straight peg hooks and a lot of time.  The idea was to be able to see and organize all the tools that I need on a day today basis and buy the biggest tool box I would find for the very few remaining tools.

Once completed I realized that I did not have enough tools and found myself going to the hardware store, and the bike store to ensure that this wall was full.  Most of them I did not have a need for at the time, but I can assure you that I sleep better knowing that if I ever need a crank pull (despite all my bikes having internal BB) I will be a good stead!

Hint:  Draw around your tools once installed.  This way you know what tool is missing and can accuse the whole family of not putting your tools back until you find it under a rag and quietly put it back in its place.

Bike Rack!

Space is a valuable commodity, as we all know, so organization is the key to this one.  The idea was to find a way to fit all 5 bikes (Road, Tri, MTB, Mrs MTB, Mrs Road) all in to the man cave and still have room for TV, Beer, and sofa.  Not easy! 

The solution was to hang ‘em by the toe.  I am easy and cheap solution I took from many bike parks and shops was to get the wall hooks and just let them hang.  Not only does it work, but also there is something very nice about seeing all of them in such a need row.

TV: Beware!

The TV is always a good addition to the man cave but beware this can backfire!

I had set up a little TV is the corner to be able to watch re runs of Paris-Roubaix and listen to Sean Kelly’s docile tones on Eurosport as the comments of the bleeding obvious for 4 hours straight.   I good ideas I felt at the time.  The problem was that I also set up my Turbo trainer in front of said TV.  Now I see the turbo as a necessary evil when the weather or the sun turned against us cyclist.  My Mrs sees it as a spin bike and a great way of tightening the buns!  I have no issue with her using it but there is a line that one never crosses in a man cave. You don’t alter a man’s man cave! Ever!

Firstly she thought that we should paint the walls to “brighten it up”.  NO!

Secondly, she wanted to move around the man cave to have a better view of the garden.  NO!

But worse of all…. As I went to pop in my copy of Hell of the North in to the DVD player I was confronted with a sin so ugly I cringe at the thought.  There was series 1-6 of Sex in The City stacked high my the spare cassettes.   

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!  She girly-fied my man cave.  She has tainted perfection.  What is next, potpourri and throw cushions!  

Goldie Lookin Chain – KMC X10 SL

It is “Tres Bling” there is no doubt about that but I have to give it to KMC they make a damn good chain.   I hear you ask, what really is the difference from one chain to another.  And to be honest, in my opinion there really is not much between the SRAM, Shimano 105, Ultegra or Dura Ace beside a few grams here and there.  So the usually speal about weight etc really was not why I bought this chain.

The main reason it that it is GOLD!  Solid Fricking Gold.  Well maybe not.  It is a TI nickel coating that they claim is to reduce wear etc but we all know all about the bling factor.  Remember this is the same company that makes an Italian flag coloured chain, although they do not make it for campag 11?  Very odd!

KMC is really the Mac Daddy of chain makers.  They make something silly like 80 million chains a year.  What is interesting is that they make them for a range of companies that most of us would class as mainstream. 

For the weight weenies amongst us, there is the tiny weight of 248g.  That is very Super Leggra by any definition, and offers you the same level of performance that you would expect from a DA chain.  I know as it have now ridden both the Shimano, SRAM and now KMC top of the rage chains in to the ground.

The real benefit is the anti stretch that KMC offers.  I am the worse when it some to not changing my chain on time and with the level of commuting it do, and starting at the lights in the big ring there I really put chains through a pounding. 

This is my real reason for lovin the KMC blingness.  I will wear a chain out in about 6 months in normal use.  Usually it is to the point where I probally should replace the cassette as well.  I was riding on the KMC for about 9 months and did not remember to give it a check.  In fact, it might have even been longer.  When I did finally get out the chain checker I was expecting the worst.  Well past the 1 mark and time for both a new cassette and chain. 

To my surprise I still had a bit of life left in it and no need to even worry about it. 

This sucker not only is super light, looks amazing but it is also very strong.  It is for that reason that one now sits on all my bikes.  I really can’t recommend it enough.

Wiggle carry these beauts at http://www.wiggle.co.uk/kmc-x10-sl-gold-10-speed-chain

Let me know your comments, I would love to know what you all think.

Faux-Pros! Team Kit Debate

This post is more of a question than a statement of fact.  When is it acceptable to wear a team kit and when does this become trying too hard.

I will admit that I own a few team kits.  Mainly this has been the result of buying bikes and wanted to support the brand and, well, when you have just spent $5000 on a bike…. $200 for the team kit does not seem so bad.  The issue is that I feel that I have to ride my ass off every time I wear it for fear of looking like a Russian skier with all the gear, going down the bunny hill with an avalanche beacon.

There was one time, where this really came to bit me in the ass and I must say that I feel like a choice fool… although none knew the wiser.

I was in London at the Canary Warf crit race.  These are a great show, but as they are in the ass end of know where in London that is only populated with bankers you tend not to get the same die hard cyclist fans as in Smithfield.  Never the less, I lived near this banking heaven where greed is good and the Colnago Ferrari with lightweights sell like hot cakes.  Still, very few know what pro cycling is all about.

I had been given the Rapha Condor jersey by a client of mine the other week as he worked Malmaison who at the time were a sponsor of the squad… He knew I was a keen cyclist and though that I would really like enjoy this token... truth is I was overjoyed.  It is a very cool kit and the not only is it their top quality lightweight jersey, but it have funky Pink accents. Even now, it is my go to jersey as it fits so well and looks great.

So, as with any kid with a new toy, I could not stop wearing it.  So when it can time to ride over to the race, I though that I would don the colours and support the Local London Team… Bike Mistake, Huge!

I rocked up to the side lines, bike in hand and decided to hit up the local star bucks for a double espresso.  I should have know that something was wrong when the cute girl behind the counter asked me if I was looking forward to the race.  I replied “yeah, it should be a good one” and which point she followed up with, are you going to win?

Seriously, she though that my “non-race weight” ass was going to be mixing it up with Kristian House and the Downing brothers, not a effing chance… still… she was cute… so I replied “wish me luck” – Shameless I know

Things then progressed from bad to worse.  I was on the side lines, just waiting for the race to start, when about 3 guys started chatting away at me.  I was in good mood (thanks to Starbucks Hottie) so I was happy to talk.  They were asking all sorts of questions about the team, the race and what not. An with my limited knowledge I was able to walk them through what this cycling thing was all about. Now, I know my stuff, but I am not Phil Liggett, but I must have come across and an expert.  Then the same question, “hey why are you not racing?”

How the hell do you answer that one…

“well… ummm… you see… it was a present and I am not really….. ummm… kinda… thingy….”                      Oh sod it… I’m off!

So I head for the finish line to see the action unfold…. Not such luck… as I turn the corner a scantily clad cheerleader hired to quite literally “bring in the punters” clocks me and stars to cheer and which point her 5 friends follow suit causing the  crowd to turn around and see what all the fuss was about…

OH SHIT!  RUN AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!! – (But first get the cheerleaders number… a little white lie never hurt)

So I guest the moral (or lack) of this story is…..

Team kits, very cool…. Just use them at the right time.

Spain is Tough on Dopers... Honest... there is video to prove it

OK... this is getting silly!  Spain have come out with a video showing that they are tough on dopers.  This is the same breath as over turning a ban on Contador earlier in the week.  It seems as though this is a bit of shameless PR and not the full story.

This is just my opinion, but I feel that the athlete is ultimately responsible for their own actions.  Even if there was a case for tainted meat or any other chance accidental doping... it is still vital that we are held accountable. With the attention that is paid of diet, training, tech and equipment it seems odd that something like some random meat from home would be worth the risk. 

When Spain then tries to look tough it seems a bit empty.  I am all for catching the instigators of doping, but often feel that perhaps cycling does not have a bigger problem with drugs then other sports, we are just better at catching it.

If we are to seem creditable on the world stage, we need to have a unified approach.  Positive is positive, 2 years is the penalty and there will be no exception for good behavior or how famous you are.  Simple, clear and decisive, that is the only way it will be a deterrent.