Leukybear 

Dear Carleton,

Considering I am to soon buy the same cranks because of a change in compatibility, what's your opinion/ take on the newer craze of BB30 oversized bottom brackets? Does it have a future on the track?

carleton

That's a good question. But, being that track hasn't even caught up with external BBs (except for SRAM), it might be a while.

bb1

hey carleton

thanks for your response Re: proper track bar width

thank you also for the offer, Re: 40cm nitto 31.8, but as of the moment, i plan to use my available stem which has a 25.4 clamp diameter

maybe in the future, when i determine my correct setup, i might grab your offer

till then, thanks

bb1

testertips

dear cralton,
i think i'm in need of a root canal. any dentist recommendations in the la area?

Dannihilator

Don't go to one that resides in an alley.

prooftheory

Go to the one that specializes in trolls.

homebrewk

Dear Carleton,

What's the best way to measure a bike component to see what the clam size is? (ex: a seatpost or handlebars). Whenever I try to measure it with a roll tape measure it never works.

carleton

Vernier Calipers. Around $10 or less at hardware and school supply stores anywhere. They come in handy. Ask around, maybe a friend has a pair you can borrow.

Lilcphoto

Dear :

I noticed a bike race outside my home where the racers are making laps for 50 minutes. I ask, if an amateur like myself wanted to get into an event like this, how would one start? Is there events that include in-experience riders during most events?

homebrewk

Cool. Thanks!

homebrewk

Wait: so would you measure the diameter of the bars or seatpost like this?

boxerboxer

I found a pair with digital readout to 3 decimal places at Harbor Freight for less than $5. Not sure how crazy accurate it is but the price is right.

carleton

What you saw was a Criterium (AKA: "Crit"). It's probably the most popular style of road racing in the US.

There should be some sort of local/regional cycling organization. That organization should have some sort of intro or beginner classes. It's really not that hard to get involved and you don't need an expensive bike. Just a properly functioning one. You should ask in the Road Racing forum about how to get involved in your particular area. There's some good reading in that sub-forum, too.

All of the racing is grouped by skill. Slow guys race other slow guys. Fast guys race other fast guys. That keeps it fun and competitive. USA Cycling (the governing body for most such events) has skill Categories. Category 5 is beginner or "I just bought my license". Then as you get better and start placing better in events, you will upgrade to Category 4 (or CAT4)...then CAT3...CAT2...CAT1. Many events group categories for races. For example, there might be a PRO/1/2 race, meaning Professionals and Category 1 and 2 racers all battle it out in the same race.

carleton

Yes. But, make sure to measure from outside to outside where the clamping happens.

Calipers are your best friend. Especially when dealing with seatposts. I found out the hard way that a 27.0mm seatpost will not work on a frame made for 27.2mm. 0.2mm is enough to slip. Shims didn't work.

carleton

Read this and the threads therein: https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...s-a-tip-or-two

jdgesus 

dear C.
any tips for insomnia? (i know you dont sleep like the rest of humanity, but...)

carleton

Is it really insomnia or you just can't sleep lately?

Melatonin has worked for me in the past. But, I'm not a doctor so I can't really suggest that you take it.

jdgesus 

middle age is catching up. goto sleep fine, can't stay asleep

carleton

Ride harder?

Lilcphoto

After investing a small sum into a vast plethora of bars, I came to realize just how different each one can be. I sold my steel track drops the same time I sold the Madison, but kept a set of gold aluminum track drops. The steel drops felt wonderful with their reach, yet the aluminum ones don't seem to have as much reach in the drops. I am also pretty hooked on 31.8 setups, and I'd prefer to find something lightweight as I am weak, and have no flexing problems.

All of that being said, I ride the Prez with risers because I have yet to find the perfect set of bars for it. I have not tried drops, but I know bullhorns are just a bit too stretched out. I sort of wished I had kept the steel drops, but I did not.

So I ask of you Carleton, are you the type of person to keep a set of each bars for any type of bike, or do you tend to find one and stick with it? I would like to try my hand at the velodrome eventually (and other races, which I must thank you for all your fine links above), however I do not feel comfortable on the gold aluminum bars I have now. I am tempted to buy a new one that I might keep for track specific bars, but I just don't know if it makes sense to get the perfect bars and keep them for any frame, or if I should try and find one that would be perfect for the Prez... Any advice?

carleton

When I can't sleep, I turn on Netflix to a documentary (usually something about Space) and close my eyes and try to imagine what the narrator is saying. I'm asleep within 10-15'.

Netflix is key because there are no loud commercials. This doesn't work well with normal TV or Hulu+.

carleton

I think that compact road bars with a shallow drop with brake hoods (with or without working brakes) would probably feel awesome for you.

Look at the "Compact Bars" section here: https://ruedatropical.com/2009/03/roa...-bar-geometry/

I use Zipp bars on my road bike. The ones on the far left here:


I use a similar bar made by Deda on my track bike in the winter when I'm just riding rollers. It's the Dede Fluida:


Both are VERY comfortable.

Lilcphoto

You know, I never thought about using road drops on track bike... I feel dumb now haha. Gonna throw the Newtons on and try it out! I'm also going to check out what the LBS has to say and take a look at a few at the shop.

Do you find yourself keeping one bar for multiple bikes, or do you do one bar per bike?

Jaytron

While we're on the subject of rollers...

I'm thinking of getting a set of rollers or a trainer for winter. What are the pros/cons of both? Am I going to wreck my face on rollers?

carleton

I use the same bars all the time on my road bike. I have different bars on my track bike:
- 3T Scatto for sprints and mass start racing at the track
- Nitto RB-21 Steel with clip on aerobars for time trials
- Deda Fluida for winter training indoors

Rollers are great for:
- Aerobic training with little resistance.
- Cadence training
- Smoothing out your pedal stroke and decreasing extra body movements and muscle contractions. Basically, learning what muscles are necessary to ride the bike and turning off contraction of all the others. This dramatically increases efficiency.

Trainers are great for:
- Resistance training
- Interval training
- Real-world feel (if you get the right trainers)
- Good substitute for not being able to ride outdoors due to time constraints, weather, etc...

I have both and use them both frequently depending on the work that needs to be done that day.