Creaky: Follow-Up

The lower-end creak that I wrote about a while back on my road bike got worse last week. I did just over 41 miles on Saturday and a bit over 35 on Sunday of last weekend. Both days, after 15-20 miles the creak returned and got progressively louder.

I've been chasing this one for a while. First I thought it was the cleat/shoe interface. Tightened it. No dice. Replaced one of the T-nuts that was bad. No dice. Tried my back-up shoes and found the creak still there. OK, so process of elimination. Check the chainring bolts. All tight. Not that. Maybe the pedal? Nope. It's tight, too. And the creak primarily happens when I'm out of the saddle, so that eliminates a whole host of possibilities there.

With all of these items checked, this leaves one suspect - the crankset/bottom bracket. And modern technology has left me in the dust on this one.

Here, I digress. Through a friend I'd gotten connected to a different shop than the guys I've traditionally gone to. They did my component swap when I upgraded to Ultegra on the Giant OCR. Then when I picked up my Giant Defy Advanced, they swapped the components over to it. This Winter, I had them put fresh grease in my Shimano 105 hubs. They did the work quickly and cost-effectively, but I kept finding little things either left undone or done not-quite-right. Most were minor (not tightening the front brake mount down tight), but it seemed like something always wasn't correct.

So, this time, I returned to Great Lakes Cycling (in their super cool new location!). Owner Oscar Bustos has always been a good guy to deal with and head mechanic Steve Sauter built me some SWEET wheels for both my road and mountain bikes. A quick inspection reveals too much play in the bottom bracket and a more complete disassembly shows that not only did the previous shop sell me the wrong bottom bracket, they installed key parts incorrectly. Awesome.

Now, this does give me a cool opportunity. I love the Chris King brand, but haven't had an excuse to own any. And it turns out the Chris King now offers a press-fit bottom bracket to fit my bike! A little more expensive than the Shimano, but c'mon; it's hand-machined, 100% made in America, and bombproof. Done like dinner -- one is now en-route from Portland, Oregon. I'm hopeful to get it back soon, maybe even in time for a weekend ride. But we'll see.

Either way, this will repair a longstanding, highly annoying problem. I am pleased. And even happier with a cool component upgrade! A review will be forthcoming.

Creaky

As a guy who grew up wrenching on bikes in shops, at races, and in my own garage, I hate extraneous noises. Creaks. Squeaks. Squeals. Rattles. All of them are a sign of one thing - something isn't working correctly. Engineers don't design products to make noises they're not supposed to.

But chasing down a squawk or a ping can be tough. Bicycles are interconnected systems. A noise you think is emanating from one place could be someplace completely different. It's sort of like a water leak in your house. Where you see the puddle could be a LONG way from the source.

I've been wrestling one on my road bike for a little while. Like many, it started quietly and infrequently. And then grew louder. And louder. And louder. Kinda' like in Edgar Allan Poe's "Telltale Heart". OK, maybe it wasn't that loud. But in my head it was.

This one's from the drivetrain side, somewhere in the lower regions. After decades of listening to bikes, I can usually pretty quickly discern what type of issue I have. Carbon sounds different from aluminum. Aluminum sounds different from stainless steel. And so on. My creak is carbon-related. It's just got that pitch and cadence.

Carbon creaks are generally not good. Especially when you ride a carbon frame, like my Giant Defy Advanced Composite. But sometimes they're a minor issue - like a seatpost that needs a cleaning and a little carbon paste. Other times, they're an indicator of an impending failure. I've learned from fly rods that all it takes is minor weakening of structural integrity and chaos ensues.

But this one is weird. I know it's in the lower end, on the drivetrain side. It only happens when I come out of the saddle and hammer on the pedals. And it's very clearly only on one side. Oddly, somehow it feels outboard of the bottom bracket and it doesn't seem to travel up the frame.

Ah-HA! Cleats.

Cleats on cycling shoes are a lifelong pain in the ass. In the olden days, I remember nailing the cleats onto my Sidi shoes. Yep, you read that right - NAILING. Modern clipless systems have moved things forward tremendously, but still the cleat-shoe interface remains a trouble spot. This area takes a lot of stress, forces in all directions, and more. Three bolts (typically) connect the power of your legs to the bike's drivetrain. And, my Bont A-Three's have carbon soles. So, I re-tighten my bolts. Creak is still there.

Dammit!

On returning home from my first weeknight ride on Monday, I decided to investigate as the continued creak now has me thinking my frame is self-destructing. I also see plagues and locusts on the horizon.

One trick I've learned with cleats is the power of blue Loctite. If you don't keep some of this around the house, buy some. Today. Keeps problematic things with threads where they're supposed to be. So I figure time to tear down the right shoe and re-do the Loctite. First screw comes out easy, drop or two of thread sealant, re-torque and good to go. But the second one loosens, but then won't come free. Finally with some upward pressure from a screwdriver while twisting the Allen wrench it pops out. But wait - where's the threaded insert? I don't see it anymore.

Crap. Bonts are made in Australia. And while they make great shoes, they're in Australia. Just shipping something back to them takes weeks and costs at least $25. They're starting to get some US dealers, but I didn't buy mine from a dealer, so they'd have to go back to the Land Down Under. Then I notice something rolling around in the shoe. It's a regular old T-nut. And it's just popped out of the hole. After closer inspection the "teeth" that bite into the sole seem squashed.

Later that night, I find the Bont sells replacements for these (via Colorado Cyclist). Hmmmmm. This tells me this is not an isolated problem. So, I have some extras on order.

In the meantime, I have a backup pair. I'll be riding those tonight to see if my creak is still there or not. A report will follow.

-Sean-

Like Butter

First ride of the season yesterday. Damn I love this bike...

After a somewhat wobbly "how the hell do I ride this thing?" start of 100' or so, it was all good. This bike is everything I wanted when I upgraded to carbon. Smooth, fast, responsive, and so much more. Road feel is excellent, but it also does a nice job of soaking up mixed pavement qualities (something we seem to have even more of in SE Michigan after our run-in with the Polar Vortex).

The biggest benefit, in my mind, comes from being on a slightly larger frame. My old Giant OCR3 was a size M. This one's a M/L and slightly bigger. Having a little extra room to stretch out makes such a difference. My riding position is better and I can open up my chest a bit for better breathing.

The only down side? My ass hurt! Yup, need to work my way back into a solid butt-seat interface. I figure a few rides will take care of that though. The Fizik saddle isn't the issue. My sissified arse is.

Did about 24 miles with 3 friends. While I wasn't setting any records, I put in a solid 15.4 mph average and finished feeling strong. Given that this is my first outing since October and I really didn't put in any meaningful off-season conditioning, I feel very good about this. Plus, I was out far earlier than last year. My cycling season is off to a solid start!

-Sean-

Standard? What's Standard?

Last year's addition of the Giant Defy Advanced carbon frameset offered SO many advantages. And one problem. The seatpost. In a well-meaning effort to boost aerodynamics, Giant gave the Defy a proprietary aero seatpost. What's the big deal, you say? Well now I've got no way to secure it in my Park Tools workstand. The Park's clamp only handles round profiles. And the rear brake cable runs externally beneath the top tube. Crap.

I check the Park web site - no, they don't have a retrofit clamp. Too bad, IO love Park's stuff. These guys are hands-down the industry leader for bike-related tools, in my opinion. On a recent visit to my favorite local bike shop, Aberdeen Bike & Outdoors I see a Trek with an aero seatpost clamped into a Bontrager adapter. Sweetness! But, of course, the Bontrager model was made specifically for the Trek Madone - I'm guessing the bike uses a Bontrager seatpost.

So, I turn to my friend Google. And sure enough, they do make an adapter. A little eBay search and I have one on the way for around 30 bucks. Problem solved. But even this system requires four different inserts depending on the Giant model you have. Wow!

Bicycles have become fascinating beasts. While standardization was always a little sketchy, it's become even more so. A quick Google search reveals no less than four standards for bottom brackets. And this is just the current crop. Someone will invent five more new ones, plus have to support legacy standards that aren't in this current crop. The bottom line is that buying a new frameset or putting new cranks on a bike you have will require a new bottom bracket (as was the case when installing Profiles on my mountain bike.

I can only imagine how frustrating it must be to run a bike shop service department. I spent a lot of years growing up working in shops (mostly for the discounts, not for the money...). You could use a pretty standard set of tools to work on 99.9% of bike problems. I think I had two sizes of spoke wrench and maybe three freewheel pullers. A single crank puller worked for most scenarios. I can only imagine what the investment today would be.

My clients in the tool and die industry work with a pretty common set of standards - US, Metric, and JIS. The Society of Automotive Engineers was created at least in part as a standards body. ISO and NSF set standards for quality and food safety respectively. I wonder why no one has proposed this for bicycles?

Just my random musings, the result of a lifetime spent around bikes and working on them. For me, my problem is now resolved (or will be once my adapter hits US shores from somewhere in Korea).

-Sean-

More than Meets the Eye

During the process of selecting my Giant Defy Advanced frameset, I got a glimpse of the complexities of carbon fiber frame selection. Through the process of tuning fibers, types, layups, and other factors, a manufacturer can completely change the riding profile of a bike.

Ride, sweet ride! Giant Defy Advanced 1 (mostly).

But a recent article in Bicycling really brought it all home for me. Wow, there is WAY more to it than I'd ever realized. And it makes me glad I chose to stick with the Giant brand - the world's largest manufacturer of carbon fiber bikes. With their resources, Giant has access to a broad range of manufacturing capabilities that others wouldn't. And, as a result, I think Giant offers a stable of bikes at outstanding price points for what you get.

If you haven't seen this article, have a look. It's pretty fascinating! Now, if we could just get on with Spring so I can hit the roads!

-Sean-

Product Review: Giant Defy Advanced

Well, I've got a few hundred miles in the saddle of my Giant Defy Advanced, so I thought a review was in order. Regular readers of this blog will remember that this bike is a bit of a mutt, as it all began with a low-end Giant OCR 3 that got upgraded wheels and components, and then a Defy Advanced frameset. So, basically, it's a Defy Advanced 1 with heavier (and more durable wheels), and a Fizik saddle.

Ye Olde OCR

My motivation for the new frameset were twofold. First, I wanted some isolation from the shitty Michigan roads. The freeze-thaw cycle here in the Upper Midwest plays hell with the roads. Any ride over 20 miles on the previous aluminum frame left me feeling like the loser in a kickboxing match. And second, I wanted to get some more punch for hills. My climbing ability was just weak, at best and I'd read that this was a key benefit to carbon.

A little research led me to the Giant, the Trek Domane, and the Pinarello Paris as potential candidates. My hope was to score a lightly used frame from a cyclist with acute upgradeitis via eBay. As the Domane's a hot new product from Trek, that seemed unlikely (it was -- I never found one). I found a couple of Paris', but could never really figure out what size I'd need. In the end the Giant won out as the Defy Advanced has been in production for a number of years, so there are quite a few out there. And the things I'd read sounded like the perfect bike for me - a balance between responsive performance and long-haul comfort. Plus, I understand the Giant size system pretty well (more on this later). Sure enough, pretty quickly I find a bike on eBay; owner's a tri-guy who wants a dedicated tri frame. Score.

The Speed Goat

First Impressions
Different. Really, really different. In recent years, I've been riding an alumimum road bike, and I grew up on uber-rigid BMX bikes. I am used to the "stiff = responsive" mindset. So, at first, while the carbon felt good, it also produced some squirrelly moments. I've now come to realize that the issue was entirely ME and had nothing to do with the bike. The frame is in no way squishy - it just has a totally different feel than other materials.

But I noticed one overpowering factor immediately. Suddenly the miles ticked off almost effortlessly. My second ride on the bike was my first-ever Metric Century. I whisked through it, feeling like Superman. I could have done another 10-20 miles without issue.

Size Matters
One other upgrade on this bike was a slightly larger size. When I bought my OCR, Giant only had Medium and then Large. In recent years they've added some sizes and a Medium/Large with dimensions midway between was introduced. Moving up a size was a really great decision. Initially it may have contributed to the squirrely moments (a too-small frame will always handle better than a too-large one). But as I logged some miles, I realized that the larger size really enabled me to stretch out and open up.

Late Season Thoughts
I love my bike. Even after three weeks off due to weather and other commitments, I put in 40 miles yesterday. It's one of those unique pieces of gear that just makes you better than you are. I own others, so I recognize them when I experience one of these superior products. The geometry is responsive, without being twitchy. And ride is supple, but it climbs like a goat.

My only complaint is relatively minor. This year's Defy (I think mine is a 2012) has an integrated ANT+ speed and cadence sensor. That would be really cool. But I think having a Garmin sensor zip-tied to the chain stay is a fair trade off for a frame that cost me half of what a new one would.

If you're looking for a bike that can reel off 30 mile training rides, but also prove comfortable for a few Centuries a year, definitely give the Giant Defy Advanced a spin.

Oh, yeah, it also looks friggin' cool.

-Sean-

Initial Product Review: Giant Defy Advanced Frameset

Last week I made a quantum leap in cycling - a move from my trust aluminum Giant OCR frameset to a trick Giant Defy Advanced carbon frame.

With my Shimano Ultegra grupo, this makes my ride roughly the equivalent of a Defy Advanced 1. My wheelset is a bit heavier, but far more bombproof for a 200# guy.

Though it would be easy to assume that I made the move to carbon purely for weight reduction, that really wasn't the primary driver. Michigan roads suck. Our brutal freeze-thaw cycles during Winter wreak havoc on our roads. And flat-broke municipalities simply can't keep up with all the maintenance that needs to be done. Aluminum's greatest strength is it's key downfall - it's rigid. This rigidity translates into effective power transfer and solid handling. Unfortunately, it's relentless on the cyclist - transmitting every imperfection straight to your body.

In an unexpected turn of events, I scored a gently used frameset on eBay, which was quickly shipped. Then the guys at Aberdeen Bike & Fitness offered to do a 24-hour turnaround build-up. The net result was that I had my new ride the week before my first Metric Century. Sweet!

A defective front tire blew my first attempted ride, but my second was a rousing success. I have a regular weeknight training ride that I like that's just under 30 miles. Right away, I notice two key things:

1. Moving up a half-size from the Medium to the Medium/Large was the right thing to do. I can just get a lot more comfortable with just a little bit of extra room.
2. This thing is FAST and SMOOTH!

I picked up over 2mph in my average on my first outing. A steady 17mph was easy peasy. I think this was due both to improved power transfer, and the ability to handle rough pavement.

I'd been warned, "Carbon feels different..." by a number of people. And, it definitely does. Carbon frames can be tuned by altering the layup, material, and reinforcements to have certain area perform differently. On the Defy Advanced, the rear triangle was clearly design to be rigid laterally -- for excellent cornering, while compliant vertically -- to soak up road vibration. Initially, this was an adjustment. At times the rear almost feels like I'm starting toward a flat tire. But it's just the carbon doing what it does best. Yet you can lay it down in the curves and at tracks like it's on rails.

The oversized bottom bracket is a very noticeable change. The lateral stiffness is incredible. This is noticeable in cornering stability, as well as acceleration responsiveness. I'm sure the oversize head tube is part of this as well.

A side benefit of this upgrade is that I can now use standard reach brakes! This means my sweet Ultregra brakes could finally be installed. This upgrade is SWEET! After years of crappy proprietary Giant long-reach brakes, the Ultegras are amazing. Considerably stronger, better modulation, and a generally more high-end feel.

All of this was put to the test on Saturday - with my first ever Metric Century (100km) in the Komen Ride for the Cure event. There's no way of knowing how the OCR would have fared, but on the Defy I felt GREAT! Even the notoriously hilly Unadilla-Hell-Pinckney region really wasn't an issue. And the ability to stretch out a bit made a long day in the saddle no problem. I finished 60 miles in well under 4 hours at a nearly 16mph pace. I've got another 60 on the calendar for this Sunday, so I'm eager to see if the results are consistent.

Bottom line -- comfortable, responsive, and surprisingly high-performance. We'll see how it feels as I get a few hundred miles on it, but early impressions are rock-solid!

-Sean-

Road of Milestones

No matter your passion, there are usually milestones that mark your passage from an amateur to a hardcore. It might be your first unguided steelhead on the fly. Or comfortably skiing an out-West black diamond. Or dropping your first pheasant with a single shot. I'm fortunate to have hit a lot of them in recent years.

This year, my goal was to drop 25# over the Summer. I've learned for me that I need to improve both diet and exercise to meet this sort of goal. Doing one of the other never seems to yield much result. The problem? I hate gyms. In fact, hate may not be a strong enough word to adequately cover the vitriol I feel toward the dank, windowless caves of pain and suffering.

So, what to do? Every since I was young, I've always loved bicycles. The freedom. The adrenaline rush. And the self-reliance. All appeal to me. Oh, and you burn calories and build fitness. I stopped riding for quite a while post-college. But in 2006 I picked it back up after purchasing a Giant OCR3 road bike. That got some upgrades, and then I built up a single-speed 29er mountain bike. Over the past 2-3 years, my cycling had tapered off for a lot of reasons. This year, at the urging of my buddy Josh, I signed up to ride the Komen Ride for the Cure. I knew that many experts say charity rides are the perfect way to set goals. And it's worked for me. The ride is this weekend and I've tripled my fundraising goal, and also decided to double my mileage.

This past weekend, as I was on the return loop of a 43 mile ride, I started thinking of the milestones I've hit this year:

• Broke the 20 mile barrier. And then the 30. And the 40. And the 50. This weekend, if all goes well, I'll break the 60.
• Wore out a set of tires. Just flat rode them until there wasn't enough left to protect the tube. Cool.
• Overcome my aversion to hills. I went out on Saturday looking to get in some time in the hills. And, I stayed on the big ring in the front. This is huge for me.
• Stopped talking myself out of rides due to the potential for poor weather. I rolled out Saturday knowing full well of the 90% chance of thunderstorms. And, I paid for it with 10 miles in some of the hardest rain I've ever seen.
• Bought my first carbon frame. It arrived today and it's going to be SWEET. Thanks to eBay and a guy who wanted a dedicated triathalon bike, I now have a Giant Defy Advanced. More coming soon on this.
• Dumped my triple chainring front crankset. Nothing says "old fat guy" like a triple.
• Purchased my first pair of bib shorts. Turns out they really are as comfortable as everyone says. Go figure.

It feels really cool to recognize all of this. Being down 17# so far doesn't suck either.

-Sean- 

It's All in Your Head

Another solid ride yesterday afternoon with buddy/coach Josh. With fairly high winds all day, I had low expectations, especially as I hadn't ridden any days that week due to weather and other commitments.

We headed out into the wind (ugh), but I felt solid right away. I certainly wasn't setting any land speed records, but I kept it moving. I was shocked by how quickly ten miles sped by. We were on a new route, with some very pleasant scenery and gently rolling terrain. My pace steadily increased and everything felt just great.

On our return loop, as we rolled into Dexter, I found I was bummed that the ride would soon be over (most likely at around 35 miles). So I asked Josh if he was game to extend - of course I knew the answer, so off we went. Net ride was 43.5 miles. Total average speed ended up at 15.6 mph -- about a 1 mph increase over my usual average. And after the ride, I felt really good. Without the wind, I think 50 would have been very doable.

Upon reflection what drove me was simple: I wanted to get in 40 miles. I knew I could do it, as we'd done it last week. I've head several people tell me that hitting a milestone give you huge confidence. And that adding 10 miles is no big deal. I headed out the previous weekend unsure I'd make 40. While yesterday, I knew I was capable of it as I'd done it a week prior. HUGE difference.

Cycling, like many active outdoor pursuits, is all in your head. Think you can't ski that black diamond run? You're probably right. Think you can't make that 50' cast to hit the right spot for that rising trout? Again, you're probably right. But when you open yourself up to the possibilities, I find it almost brings a Zen-like calm.

By contrast, when you get all up in your head, nothing goes right. For me, this is sporting clays. The more I think about it, the less I hit. But when I can clear my thoughts and be in the moment, muscle memory and instinct take over and things go ever so much better.

So just remember: I believe.

-Sean-

D*mn That Felt Good!

Sunday marked a pretty huge day for me as a cyclist. I completed my first ride over forty miles. This is a milestone I haven't achieved in at least a couple of decades, if not more. I owe a ton of credit for this to my buddy Josh, who in recent years has become a fairly serious cyclist. His persistence in getting me out to do rides, extend my pace, and generally push myself outside my comfort zone has been huge.

While I had been putting in a decent number of miles a couple of years back, none of my rides were every very long. My most common was a 17-mile loop along the river up near my house. I'd manage a couple of pushes to 25 by adding to that loop, but nothing beyond that.

This year's been different though - for a lot of reasons. The first is simple. Now that I'm closer to 50 than 40, I recognize that I don't want to be a fat tub of goo at 50. And, since I've get three years until then, I'm motivated to use them. Skiing in Colorado this Winter really brought that home. Between the altitude (which really hasn't effected me in the past, and the physical activity, I was just GASSED. Not just at the end of the day -- the first few runs had me wheezing like a fat guy chasing an ice cream truck. This was a brutal wake-up call for a guy who's generally been fit and athletic.

The bike gruppo upgrade has also been huge for me. My trusty Giant OCR now has more jump, shifts SO much better, and feels like a whole new bike. It should -- the Shimano Ultegra gruppo it now sports would be standard equipment on $4,000+ bikes. Having a bike you love to ride sure does help.

But it's also been building a steady base and then pushing to progress to longer mileage. I started out early doing my 17 mile loop a few times, just to get my "sea legs". Then I agreed to ride the Bike Ypsi Spring Ride - planning to do the 15. But as the event got closer, both Josh and my sister said I should do the 30. And I knew they were right. While that ride had some tough moments, it showed me I could do 30 no problem (actually 32.5, due to my navigational error). Now, my preferred weeknight ride is a 25 mile loop that incorporates the old ride. And I'm going out at marginal weather times I would have simply avoided before. I did the 17 mile loop last Friday despite low temps and high winds. Was it miserable? Yup. Did I return happy I'd gone out? You bet.

When lining up plans for Sunday, I quickly offered to Josh that I'd like to do the Saline-Manchester loop, which I knew was over 40. Happy to have me advance, Josh quickly agreed. In addition to being as beautiful as I'd expected (a perfect bluebird day didn't hurt), the ride went really well. I started off with my "unhappy knee" popping and grinding badly. Not a good sign. But after a few miles, that stopped and I started to find my groove. The rolling hills and moderate traffic on these country roads had the miles zipping by.

I did make one major discovery. Take food. At about mile 25, after a few climbs and some time battling the wind, I was on my last legs - wondering the the hell I was going to make another 15. Then I remembered the power bar in my jersey pocket! Fished it out and wolfed it down. Sure enough, 10 minutes later, I've got renewed GO!

Making progress. Oh, and dropping a few pounds, too!

-Sean-

Fit is It

A recent article in Bicycling magazine on the effects of bad fit on your body with road bikes set me to thinking. For the past two seasons I've ridden less on my road bike than in the past. Upon reflection, I realize that the sore neck and shoulders and numb toes are most likely a result of poor fit on my ride.

Stopped by my local shop, Great Lakes Cycling & Fitness, and talked to owner Oscar. Sure enough the do custom fitting by appointment, so I set on up. The fit process was pretty fascinating - in addition to a wide range of all sorts of body measurements, Oscar puts you on the bike on a trainer and watches your riding style. Based on measurements, observations, and a bit of help from computer-based fit sofware, he starts making adjustments.

Two items were immediately apparent. First, my Look stem was a good bit too long. Second my Serfas RX saddle belonged on Grandpa's upright cruiser, not my performance-oriented road bike. Funny thing is that I'd wondered if this saddle was part of my problem - being overly wide and overly padded. A shorter Giant stem and a new Selle Royal saddle were the first times.

Then the tweaking began. Surprisingly, the tweaks were all relatively small, but there were quite a few. It started with raising the seat height, sliding it back, and adjusting the angles. Then, after discussing my flexibility, or lack of it, the handlebars were rotated upward. The effect of all this was to shift my riding position rearward to more evenly distribute the weight load between handlebars and saddle. Previously I'd been riding with much of my weight supported on my wrists, causing neck and shoulder pain.

Finally he addressed the position of my cleats. This is both to provide proper alignment and efficiency, and to deal with the toe numbness I've been experiencing.

It's interesting I'd never considered having a pro do a fitting. Especially since discovering the HUGE benefits of a custom fitting for my ski boots (thanks to Rob @ Sun & Snow Sports for that!) last year. Watching Oscar work made me realize how little I knew about getting a bike to fit me well.

Are we done? No, not quite. I'm swapping the new saddle for one with an anatomical cutout. And there's still a bit of toe numbness lingering. But a few more adjustments today and we should be further along. Hoping to sneak in a ride tonight to see!

-Sean-