gauvins

For those interested in money-is-no-object touring bikes, this article describes a custom build intended for the race across America. Hardly your typical touring adventure. Interesting nonetheless.

Marcus_Ti

Awesome looking bike.

Although I am curious about the spec of mechanical TRP Spyre disc brake calipers. Especially since they need manual adjustment for wear.....and with those Parlee caliper-covers, the adusts are rather hidden and hard to get at.


Lots more pics here:

https://www.englishcycles.com/customb...sam-race-bike/

john_mct

Just to note...this bike is for the Trans Am Bike Race, which is a self-supported endeavor. Not to be confused with the Race Across America (RAAM), which is very much a supported effort.

Sweet bike. I really like the clip-on aero bars with the food bucket and integrated cue sheet holder...genius.

pdlamb

Interesting that he's going with 28 tires and a through axle for the disc brakes. In this race-that's-only-partly-a-race scenario, what's the time penalty going to be for flat tires with through axle vs. quick release?

Marcus_Ti

Lower than running disc-brakes and QRs. Disc brakes are very sensitive to alignment, and TAs are simple stupid to get the alignment right and perfect....as opposed to QRs and fussing for an extra minutes to get rid of brake rub, because the wheel isn't seated 100% perfectly identically.


If you run discs...you want TAs.

fietsbob

English, helped out working with Bike Friday, in years past..

Le Monde had some Mixed material bikes sold under his name, years back..
seat stays, part of the down and seat tube was carbon..

So he starting in the west, here?, or Yorktown Virginia?

also see Shermer's Neck. https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=shermer+neck+wiki





....

BigAura

Although I think turning touring into racing is silly. I do like the rules, especially the self-supported & under-your-own-power parts

indyfabz

Without G.P.S. and fenders, his chances of survival are, according to my calculations, 1 in 734,359.


Seriously, that is a nice looking bike. The "cue sheet holder" actually looks like a map case to hold the ACA maps, which are oriented like this for reading:




I have mentioned this before, but in 2014 I was on the Trans Am for a few days and ended up camping in Jackson, MT with a guy in the race. He happily proclaimed that he was not in last place because there was one person behind him.

Marcus_Ti

It used to be just that.

I'm not sure when exactly it started changing....but in the Old Days Tour de France et al used to be self-supported touring races. Now of course, it is anything but.

fietsbob

They all carry transponders, so you at home can watch who is in front of whom.


RAAM is a different event.

BigAura

Tour de France 1920

Mr IGH

I have both QR and TA, I don't have any trouble re-installing a QR disc wheel whilst maintaining proper alignment. I have extra QR wheelsets and swap them out without any adjustment to even the dreaded BB7 calipers. I worked at an LBS where I installed QR wheels several times per day without issue (both mech and hydro calipers). TA is cool but not required, esp for a road bike.

Marcus_Ti

Days of hard-men. Pacing of any sort was illegal until the late 1920s IIRC....granted, flouting the rules and cheating was endemic from the start (including car-pacing).

I suspect the self-support requirement is part of why cycle racing took off...and why "gravel grinder" races are seeing such popularity here in the USA. The rules and conditions really are a throwback to those early TdF races. Awful conditions, bootstraps, and you don't "need" a million-dollar budget to enter....just luck in getting your entry in.

fietsbob

Thru axle is more resistant to the pitfalls of poorly understood QR's creating the brake ejecting the wheel when applied.

+ there is the trendy ness factor...





still need a fork spreader block when shipping the bike with the wheel out..

Marcus_Ti

Base on the logos, Tim, I think it is an ENVE:

SES Aero Road Bar - ENVE Composites

gauvins

Good point. Possible to edit the title of this thread?

john_mct

I agree with all the ethos except the "no drafting" part. I think working with the people you are competing against to move faster creates an interesting dynamic, especially in a race of this distance (nobody is going to let you suck on the wheel for 3k miles...)

Happy Feet

But it does create an unfair flaying field.

One group of riders could agree to cooperate and out pace the rest of the field. That potential would make it necessary for every serious competitor to buy into the concept of drafting or lose a realistic competitive edge. The whole race would then become a draft fest and lose the self supported vibe.

john_mct

I think it would play out a bit differently due to the long distance involved. People without allegiances to each other would stop at different times; egos would clash; groups would splinter into smaller pairs and threes pushing to catch up/push the pace; etc.

As an poor example, drafting is permitted in the DirtyKanza gravel race, a mere 200 miles compared to this cross america ride. But if you look at the results from last year, the top ten are scattered over an hour behind the winner and only number 2-3 are within a minute of each other.

Yes, I know drafting will be more important at paved road speeds, but I highly doubt a large group would function together for more than a day.

Happy Feet

But it would mean anyone who chose not to draft would be at a real disadvantage. You would create two forms of the same race.

I kind of think about trying something like it (the race) but have zero interest in group riding or drafting. While I of course wouldn't be competitive, results like mine (if I did it) would be sort of meaningless against others who seriously invested in drafting.

The appeal of the Trans Am seems to be the self supported nature of it. Drafting makes it more of a group effort. If you buy in you gain a serious advantage over others.

djb

given the weight of the bike, I cant see it being an issue. I rode about 3000km on a 80lb bike in very mountainous terrain and I think I made one slight adjustment for wear on my mech disc BB7's.
Pre trip I had no idea how the pads would hold up, being new to discs, but it was a non issue , or certainly not a problem with rapid pad wear, although I readily admit Im a light guy and I dont brake that much, only when needed and in short hard applications when needed.

fietsbob

Its following the ACA Trans america route between coasts, Yorktown Va, Astoria OR,

last year some people started on the eastern end, most from the west.

hueyhoolihan

for similar reasons, i think that if i were in that race, i might invest in a bizarro 'rabbit' to stay about 10 miles behind me the whole way.

hueyhoolihan

first doobie... notice congratulatory pat on back from seasoned veteran.

nun

I'm not sure about the box on the steel rack on the back....those seem like strange choices with so many bike packing saddle bags available. Maybe he likes the easier access, although a small transverse bag would give easy access and wouldn't stick out to spoil the aerodynamics.