With the roads all snowy I have little option but to turn my attention to the trainer, rollers, and other indoor pursuits. I have dubbed my latest indoor pursuit as the B1 project. It is my ambitious effort to convert my tired Bianchi road bike into a rocking time trial machine!
The cycling powers that be have taken it upon themselves to add a time trial stage race, a time trial series (with prizes), and a time trial to our spring series over the last few years. So given the new aspect of the race scene it is clear that I need another bike! Reality is however that I cannot afford a sweet new aero-tubed, disk wheeled, carbon framed Cervelo. Best I can do is slap some aero bars on the old B1 (every bike should have a name) – and there you have it, the B1 project.
Step one. The shim job. So I have an extra stem, and an extra fork – I am golden right? It seems not. Why oh why is there such thing as 1” and 1 1/8” stems and steering tubes. Furthermore, why do I have a 1 1/8” stem and a 1” steering tube? I think it is a plot to change sizes every few years to make sure that nothing is backwards compatible. This requires most people to buy all new stuff, or if you are to cheap it requires you to buy adaptors. Come to think of it, it generates an entirely new industry (what would Wheels Manufacturing do if they weren’t making adaptors)?
It so happens that the local bike shop has a shim that I can jamb on the steering tube to make my stem fit. Two dollars later I am golden right? Well almost, the shim is a little longer than the attachment deally on the stem – I need to cut it to fit, or find another shim that fits. I have wanted a tube cutter for a while anyway. I am off to the hardware store!
More later…
The cycling powers that be have taken it upon themselves to add a time trial stage race, a time trial series (with prizes), and a time trial to our spring series over the last few years. So given the new aspect of the race scene it is clear that I need another bike! Reality is however that I cannot afford a sweet new aero-tubed, disk wheeled, carbon framed Cervelo. Best I can do is slap some aero bars on the old B1 (every bike should have a name) – and there you have it, the B1 project.
Step one. The shim job. So I have an extra stem, and an extra fork – I am golden right? It seems not. Why oh why is there such thing as 1” and 1 1/8” stems and steering tubes. Furthermore, why do I have a 1 1/8” stem and a 1” steering tube? I think it is a plot to change sizes every few years to make sure that nothing is backwards compatible. This requires most people to buy all new stuff, or if you are to cheap it requires you to buy adaptors. Come to think of it, it generates an entirely new industry (what would Wheels Manufacturing do if they weren’t making adaptors)?
It so happens that the local bike shop has a shim that I can jamb on the steering tube to make my stem fit. Two dollars later I am golden right? Well almost, the shim is a little longer than the attachment deally on the stem – I need to cut it to fit, or find another shim that fits. I have wanted a tube cutter for a while anyway. I am off to the hardware store!
More later…
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