Squirrelli

Dear Carleton,

As a racer, you must be very particular about your tires selection. What are some of your favourite tires (both clinchers and tubulars) and what are some of your least favourites (both track and road)?

P.S. - Have you always had Igor besides your username or was that new?

carleton

I'm stumped. I've never used anything over 25c on a road bike.

Favorites:
Clincher:
Continental Gatorskin
Continental Grand Prix 4000
Continental Grand Prix Supersonic

Tubular:
Continental Sonderklasse
Continental Steher

Least Favorite:
Tufo S3 (very hard)
Lots of others that I can't recall. I pretty much stick to Conti these days.


I just got Igor today!

Squirrelli

Interesting, the last Conti tires I had were Gatorskins and UltraRace and I didn't like the way the felt. Maybe I'll like Conti more when I could afford some GP4000S.

Congrats on Igor.

Dean7

Good answer.


Conty goon answer.

carleton

Squirrelli

Creepy...

Squirrelli

Dear Carleton,

What is your best flying 200m and your 1km time?

carleton

200M: 11.9"
1K: 1'15" (not awesome, I know)

I hope to improve on those this season.

Dean7

I wish that were photochopped.

homebrewk

Dear Carleton,

Is there any "secret" to applying chamois cream?

Also, what do you recommend to a teen to eat before a 20-30 mile road ride?

carleton

There are 3 ways to apply the cream:

1) Directly to the chamois, then put on the shorts.

2) Directly to your body, then put on the shorts.

3) Put on the shorts then stick your hand in your shorts a few times and rub in on. People do this when they get dressed at home then apply the cream right before the ride because it will absorb into the skin (like lotion) after a while and lose it's viscosity.

A lot or a little is a personal thing.

As far as food goes, a basic light lunch is fine. Just give yourself time to poop before the ride. So, eat maybe 1-2 hours before. Maybe take a granola/clif bar along for a mid-way snack. This time of year we sweat a lot, so take some sort of electrolyte drink with you to avoid cramping.

homebrewk

Thanks!

hamish5178

Carleton:

Going to be ordering a clipless setup (most likely Look or Look style) sometime in the next few days. Can you give me a brief explanation of float and tension? I know that float is how much your foot can move before becoming unclipped, and is there also release tension on top of this (I assume that is what you adjust on the pedal?).

So can you have varying amounts of float and various amounts of release tension and all combinations of the two? What would be best for a clipless novice? I'm thinking high release tension would be good in the long run for a fixed gear?

carleton

You are right. Float defines how far your heel is allowed to move before the pedal disengages.

The heel angle affects how much tension (if any) is on the knee. Even *very* minute amounts of tension can be uncomfortable. Not painful, but noticeable. Here's an example. Stand up and jump a few inches in the air and notice the angle of your feet upon landing. Twist one or both of your feet in any manner, jump again, and they will land in the same angle. They sort of reset in the air. That's the angle they like. Now, while on the ground, turn the heel of one foot in or out and notice how your knee tightens up on the inside or outside just a tiny bit. This sensation is sort of magnified on the bike when pedaling when the cleat angle is slightly off. Float basically allows the cleat angle to be off within a few degrees and the knee will find where it wants to be. Float systems provide a margin of error for the cleat placement...which is sort of a benefit over toe-clip + slotted cleat systems. Or if you don't want to deal with the added hassle of minutely dialing in 0-float cleats (read below).

I use cleats with zero float. It's a fixed position. A lot of people think this is crazy. Most bike shops don't even bother carrying 0-float cleats. I have to special order them. What I think they don't realize that even with the 5-degree float cleats, their foot isn't wiggling between 0-5 degrees in the pedal stroke. It's at one of those degrees the entire time. BUT...now there is the opportunity for the heel to move and not be in the right position. Not that this would cause injury, but for me, it's more of an insecure, sloppy feeling. Keep in mind, this is one man's opinion. There are plenty of bike fitters and athletes who know way more about this than I do that use float and love it. 0-float cleats take about 15-30 minutes of trial and error with the bike in an indoor trainer to dial in. Basically the process is:
- Install cleat
- Put on shoes
- Mount bike
- Pedal
- Note the sensation of where the heel/knee wants to rest for each leg
- Dismount
- Adjust cleat(s)
- Repeat 3-4 times.


Tension:
Tension is relative to the rider's strength and body weight. What might be "high tension" for a 120lb girl would be "low tension" for a 200lb guy. So, it's relative.

That being said, I suggest that new users set the tension not on "high", but somewhere between "low" and "medium" based on how it feels to enter and exit the pedals. So, if your foot pops out effortlessly, that's "low" for you. Turn the tension up a bit.

If you are worried about accidental unclips and that's why you think "high release tension" understand that accidental unclips are due to bad pedaling form or worn cleats more so than inadequate tension. So, basically, pay attention and try not to allow your foot to twist during upstrokes or skidding and you'll be fine.

rustybrown

Dear Carleton,

On the street, would you suggest taking the lane or riding far right as possible?

Taking the lane, of course, meaning riding well past the automobile tire tracks. Some would say creating a ruckus. Others would say creating safety via visibility.

carleton

It depends.

In slower traffic where I'm as fast as the cars (as in neighborhoods) I'll take the lane. Especially when it's clear that I'm there. When I'm much slower than traffic, I'm off to the side.

You can be "right" and still get hit.

kyttyra

Dear Carleton,
how do you like those 3T bars in your Tiemeyer (especially when accelerating) as they are, like, 37 cm narrow c-c?

carleton

They feel awesome. And for some reason, they do not feel small at all.

I think that we've all been conditioned to ride wider bars in order to "open up the chest to breathe more freely". But that idea has been disproven. I also went from 44cm to 40cm on my road bike. Now 44cm feels like I'm steering a bus.

It's kinda like buying size 11 shoes all your adult life when you are actually a 10.5. When you finally try some 10.5's they feel amazing.

hairnet

I did the same thing for a while, back on 44cm and it feels so much better. Breathing was fine but overall riding feels more natural on 44

davismatson10

Dear Carleton,

I've seen people use a spacer between their stem and top cap with a carbon fork, and then talk about how it's important/good to do. But then I've seen way more people not do that...what do you think?

bryyando

Dear Carleton,

Is it possible to use a bmx headset on a fixed frame? I'm interested in putting one on an ftp. As far as I can tell they are 1 1/8th, integrated and are campy spec as is the ftp.

vw addict

I say yes to spacer, but I'm not carleton so who knows.

Scrodzilla

Dear Carleton - do you know of any liner shorts that have minimal padding?

I'm looking for a little cushion for longer rides but really don't like feeling like I'm wearing a diaper.

Sherblock

Why do some track bikes have toe clips over the cleats? Is this like a back up safety mechanism so if they unclip they might be able to catch themselves?

vw addict

I have a few pairs of Pearl liners that are made to wear under mtn bike baggies, they are a stretchy mesh rather than lycra, and the padding isn't super thick at all.