Indholdsfortegnelse for January - February 2016 i Bicycling

1 TRY SOMETHING A LITTLE NUTS THIS YEAR. OR A LOT NUTS. I’m not talking about circling a date on the calendar and training up for some lifetimelist event (though that’s cool, too). I’m talking about ripping down a waterslide in full kit (p. 53), or ringing all your friends’ doorbells then sprinting off madly on your bike (p. 59). But I’m also talking about using your bicycle to unite and empower people (p. 58), or not being afraid to break rules when those rules are oppressive, offensive, and morally repugnant (p. 54). And I’m talking about hauling home a couch via bike (p. 56). Why? It’s our belief that if you spend some time pedaling sideways through this world, you’ll turn it into a better place— and yourself into…

1 The Town Bike I Built My friend Taylor calls my 1976 Raleigh Sprite my “borough bike.” It cost less than $200 to build, and it’s the only one of my bikes that I’m willing to lock up and leave unattended. Of course I would be upset if it got stolen, but I’d also appreciate the thief’s distinctive sense of style. 2 Homesweet Homegrown Hot Sauce I’ll put hot sauce on anything. Two years ago I got hooked on Orange Crush. It’s made from organic habanero peppers grown in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, just a short bike ride from BICYCLING HQ, and packs some legitimate heat. $6 3 Nutcase Little Nutty Even before it was time to buy my now-5-year-old son a helmet, I knew I’d go with Nutcase, which offers cool…

WHEN I SAW the Moto 3i it stirred a long-lost memory of my first bike— a cream-yellow BMX cruiser with a two-speed kickback hub and 24-inch wheels. The Moto 3i conjured the image of surfing down my street with one foot on the seat and one on the crossbar: an improbable and ill-advised feat that today I find hard to believe really happened. Yet it did, as did the time we neighborhood kids decided to play Evel Knievel and jump our bikes over flames…that we set in someone’s yard. (Sorry about the grass, Mrs. Ebert, but your side lawn had the slope we needed for takeoff.) All those childhood memories come roaring back on the Moto 3i—as intended. Part cruiser, part klunker, and part BMX-style cruiser, the bike has a…

WHY DO ’CROSS RACERS WEAR SKINSUITS? Superhero fantasies— duh! But really, the garment does have performance advantages. Though a skinsuit’s one-piece construction makes it the most aerodynamic choice in a time trial or road race, ’cross racers appreciate more that it can’t ride up like a jersey might, which can be aggravating and uncomfortable when you’re running, jumping, and otherwise negotiating an obstaclefilled course. There’s also less spare fabric to snag on your bike when hopping on and off or shouldering it. Since events are generally an hour or less, and repairs take place in a pit, there’s no reason to carry snacks and tools, so you don’t need the pockets of a jersey. Of course, there are also style points to consider: For many ’cross racers, the clean lines…

FINISHING 18TH I started running competitively when I was 12. After I began racing cyclocross in 2013, it reminded me of cross-country. Oddly enough, they smell the same—the scent of fall! Last year at my first UCI race, Jingle Cross in Iowa City, it was freezing. As I prerode the course I wondered what I’d gotten myself into. It seemed sadistic. I was out of my element. Even so, I was excited to start: I was riding against people I’d read about. It was amazing that I could race them at that level. When I got a $20 check for my 18th-place finish, I was ecstatic. You don’t get as good racing in the local scene— you’ve got to push your limits to get better. DANI ARMAN, 25 / PROGRAM…

▸ My husband and I got our first hive in 2011 after we watched a documentary called The Vanishing Honeybee, about how bees are dying off. We were like, “We have to do our part!” ▸ It’s a glorified landlord position: I give you a house, and I take your honey. The first year, we got three gallons in one harvest! It doesn’t require much work, and you need only three square feet in your backyard. ▸ A hive, bees, and supplies cost about $500 if you buy everything new, but you can find it all way cheaper on Craigslist or by meeting local beekeepers. ▸ My bees are docile, but I wear a veil most of the time while dealing with them. I’ve had one get into my shirt.…

AS A COMPETITIVE mountain biker, I train 10 to 15 hours a week. When I’m done riding, I need food and I need it fast so I can get back to writing, housework, and taking care of my family. And that’s why I’m a huge fan of stir-fry. The moment I walk in the door, I turn on the stove and toss baby carrots, chopped beets, and pepper strips into the wok, topped with handfuls of chard and kale. The nutritious concoction cooks while I slip off my shoes and put my gear away. When it’s fork tender, I turn off the heat, dump a can of sardines on top, and let it all sit while I quickly clean up and change. I return to a delicious recovery meal. On…

BY THE TIME I THINK TO EAT THE PB&J SANDWICHES STUFFED IN MY SPORTS BRA, THE WINDCHILL HAS TURNED THEM TO ROCKS. At this point, I am pushing my bike across an ice-locked lake. Sporadic markers that read “Iditasport” tell me I’m on the trail, yet I can barely make them out because my eyelashes keep sticking together. A vision flashes in my mind, of a woman I’d heard about whose eyeballs had frozen during a race in Alaska. They’d apparently swelled to the size of prunes, causing her temporary blindness. Because her race had been 350 miles while mine is just 100 kilometers, I feel like a baby even thinking things could get that dire. Then again, I’ve already broken a chain, lost my way, and run out of…

AROUND 25 YEARS AGO, the fanny pack was a socially acceptable way to carry supplies on the trail. But the hydration pack— and fashion police—put an end to that. Now, as riders search for more comfortable alternatives for shorter rides, the fanny pack has rebounded. CamelBak’s new Palos 4LR isn’t the first mountain bike– specific model to reappear, but it is the first that includes a fluid reservoir—a welcome improvement, since anyone who’s tried to holster a pack-mounted water bottle on the fly knows that sipping from a hose is much easier. The 1.5-liter Antidote reservoir holds enough water for most one- to two-hour rides, and a slick magnetic trap secures the hose to the waist belt between drinks. The Palos has a total of 2.5 liters of storage for…

MIKE DIMKICH 47, guitarist for Bad Religion, and former member of The Cult WOODLAND HILLS, CA 1. Let me add the most important Spanish expression: tranquilo. 2. The attrition blows my mind. I’m wrecked after three weeks of touring, not racing full-gas daily. (However, I can relate to the mixed blessing of the rest day!) 3. I come from an ultramarathon background, so the misery and ecstasy of climbing is my favorite form of rewarding and abusing myself. Descending, I broke my collarbone and had it fixed three days before a European tour opening for The Who. 4. None of my bikes are particularly light. So I keep myself light. It’s cheaper and makes one appear faster. 5. I am attempting to paraphrase my dear friend and cycling mentor Mr.…

1 Get support / Set up next to something sturdy like a doorjamb, workbench, or table. The key is to support yourself at a height that’s roughly the same as your handlebar to stay stable when you’re grabbing or letting go, says three-time Olympic road cyclist John Howard. 2 Get started / Instead of placing your bike on the rollers first, move the bike next to them, straddle the top tube, and lift the rear wheel into position. Then bring the front wheel up. Grab your bench, sit on the saddle, and start pedaling right away while still holding on. 3 Get up to speed / If you pedal too slow, it’s hard to stay upright. Find a gear in the middle of your range, and try to get to…

The first graphic I created was in 2011 after a trip I took with some mates, riding Italy from top to toe. We’d talked about creating a memento that could reflect what we did. People collect all kinds of data on their Strava account or Garmin, but it just sits there. We wanted to think about how people could express themselves with data.—James Mason We try to create a piece that is beautiful and attracts the eye from a distance. But when you get close, it tells a story.—Howard Smith Our designs’ similarity to a bike wheel is quite by accident. When James was working on the illustration from the Italy trip, it was the approach that worked best. To end up with a circle is counterintuitive.—H.S. With the radial…

RIDE LIKE A SUPERHERO RIDE BIKES AT YOUR WEDDING The sales associate who was helping me try on gowns at the bridal shop didn’t know what to say when I asked her, “Do you think I can ride a bike in this dress?” To be fair, it isn’t something most people do at their weddings. My husband, Nick, and I love riding bikes, especially in urban areas, and when we travel we always try to test a city’s bike share program. It’s the best way to get to know a place, free of tour buses and stuffy taxis. During a pre-engagement trip to Paris last April we used the Vélib bike share as the primary way to get around, winding through the labyrinth of streets in search of cheese, chocolate,…

MY SISTER GAVE ME MY first multi-tool for Christmas six years ago. It was a Topeak Alien II with 26 functions including a bottle opener and pocketknife. Even after I'd come into possession of other multi-tools, the Alien II remained my trusty companion. I carried it everywhere, because chances were, it had the tool I needed. But it was still a multi-tool, and multi-tools have their limitations. They can be clumsy to hold and maneuver in tight spaces. And if you really need to muscle something, you're probably SOL. Enter the Crankbrothers y 16: proper Y tools and more, in a portable package. A plastic carrying case holds two 6150 chromoly steel Y tools back-to-back, snugged together magnetically. One has the bits you'll need most often: 4mm, 5mm, and 6mm…

Whoosh. WE KNOW WHAT YOU’RE thinking: A $7,500 road bike from…Diamondback? The company is best known for its BMX and mountain bikes, but it has solid pavement offerings across the price spectrum. The latest version of its flagship Podium race model includes updates such as subtle aero tube shaping, a massive front end and fork, and porting for mechanical and electronic drivetrains. Feedback from the Optum Pro Cycling p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies squad helped shape the bike. The handling is lifted straight from the Italian road race handbook. A steady touch on the bar will reward you well, with the bike responding to small inputs quickly. It favored an over-the-bottombracket position when I was really driving it through challenging turns, and I found myself wanting the inside line, the tighter…

As I topped out at the old mining town of Gold Hill, Colorado, the sun was already low in the sky. My jersey was damp from the hour-long climb, and facing a chilly descent, I was thankful to have the L1 Essential in my pocket. The L1 isn’t your average vest. It starts with the fabric: As I picked up speed, the fleecelike lining insulated better than a standard ultralight vest. The softshell outer was impervious to wind, but still breathable: I was warm until my jersey dried, which happened more quickly than with other vests I’ve tried. Q36.5 (named for the body’s core temperature, in Celsius) was started in 2014 by a veteran product developer from Assos, and also makes premium-priced, highly technical apparel. But where Assos tends toward…

ALTHOUGH SRAM HAS steadily trickled down the technology from its top-of-theline, XX1 one-by-eleven (1x11) mountain group since 2012, a 1x drivetrain—a single chainring with a wide-range cassette to provide a similar gear range to a 2x system—was still a premium offering unless you wanted to hack it with a conversion kit. But when SRAM released its GX group last spring, it slashed the minimum buy-in to $564, and as low as $3,500 for a complete bike with GX. And just like that, more of us could dream of one day owning a clean-looking bike with simpler shifting and more handlebar real estate. GX is almost identical to SRAM’s higher-end X1 and X01 groups, primarily differing in materials and manufacturing. The biggest saving: The X01 and XX1 10-42 cassettes are machined…