Steering Blues; Hills and More Hills

Headset cartridge bearings

A few months ago I was having steering issues, and Keith was very helpful in showing me how easy it was to take apart a contemporary threadless headset. The problem was that my steering was notched, so that the steering had a tendency to mildly lock into the default straight-ahead position. This problem could be caused by a number of factors, but in retrospect, it seems to be the result of ovalized bearings, caused by repeated poundings on my fork over the 7,000 + road miles on my bike.

Keith disassembled the headset and cleaned the inside of the head tube and the outside of the sealed bearing systems, which had accumulated a bit of rust. After the reassembly was complete, the notched steering was barely in evidence, but in the last few weeks the notched steering problem has come back in earnest. My paranoia is that one of these days I'll have to quickly steer to avoid debris or a pothole and won't be able to due to the tendency for my wheel to stay straight.

Yesterday I disassembled my headset and took one of the cartridge bearings to a local bike shop in hopes that they carried them as a stock replacement item. No such luck, what pissed me off is that rather than offer to order the bearings, they suggested I order a replacement headset! I've done enough research to be fairly convinced that the only problem with the headset is the bearings, and the set of two bearings can be found online for $25 including shipping, while I'm fairly certain that the local bike shop would sell me a replacement headset for at least $75. I feel like so many local bike shops count on clueless riders. Yeah, I know that they need to make money to stay afloat, but this business approach alienates experienced cyclists. If I felt it could have waited, I would have waited until Monday to go to Glenn Swan's. Surely Glenn would sell the bearings. This is precisely why Swan's has such a loyal customer base—they meet the rider at their level and don't talk down to you. I won't mention the local bike shop, since I have no desire to trash talk local businesses, but come on guys! Expand your tire collection, while you're at it.

I ended up rotating the top and bottom bearings, since I read that the bottom bearings are likely the ones that were ovalized, and sure enough it steers much better now. With the new bearings on order and much smoother steering, I feel much more secure as we head out to Vermont and the North Country of New York State for a family vaca and some great bike riding up Killington Mountain a century ride starting in Plattsburgh called the Way North Century. I did the ride last year, and here's a video I made about the event:



On Friday, after a rest day, the weather was perfect and I was seeking out the hills. I have a tendency to ride the same routes over and over, and I felt like changing things up in order to break the monotony. This is one terrific route! As I headed east on Rt. 79, I took Snyder Hill Rd. in a direction that I usually don't go. After merging back onto Rt. 79, I continued east, then took Level Green Rd. to Speedsville, then back along Old 76 Rd. The Buffalo Hill descent was stellar, and I was able to get up to 48 mph before having to break as it intersected with 79 again. Then back up Snyder Hill Rd., down Genung, west on Ellis Hollow Creek Rd., north on Turkey Hill Rd. to the NYSEG building, then up to the airport, north to Asbury, and back home down East Shore Dr. This ride was a fun way of connecting lots of shorter rides together, and now that I'm familiar with so many roads in our area, it's really fun to explore and experiment. This ride was just over 4,000 ft. of vertical ascent spread over 53 miles, and in comparison, the Cayuga Lake loop is the same amount of climbing spread over 100 miles.

Group Ride Debate

I've been following a fascinating discussion on the listserv for the Finger Lakes Cycling Club regarding the tendency for the bulk of the group to drop slower cyclists. There are many valid viewpoints, but I side with the all-inclusive approach to group riding. Yes, I ride as fast as possible during the AIDS Ride for Life as a personal challenge, but if I join a weekend group ride, I fully expect to sacrifice speed for camaraderie and coaching. For what it's worth, here's what I wrote:

At the risk of further extending a lengthy discussion, I just wanted to add a little personal perspective to this fascinating debate. When I was 15 and growing up in the Endicott area (mid '70s), I bought a crappy department store 10-speed, which was still way better than my tired, rusty 5-speed. My best friend's dad was a serious cyclist, and I wanted to ride long distances just like him. Sadly no one in my family really supported or encouraged my cycling obsession, but then I heard about the Southern Tier Bicycle Club, and started joining them for weekend rides. These were some of the best memories of my teenage years—there was always a small group of faster riders, but without exception there were patient adults who rode at my pace and encouraged me. I learned so much from these strong riders who sacrificed riding with a faster group to coach and guide me. If it weren't for these experiences, I would have never pursued my many subsequent cycle touring adventures and beyond. I obsessively studied their technique and their gear and asked a million questions, and they were unfailingly kind and patient.

While I haven't participated in any FLCC Sunday rides in a long time, it seems to me that a primary objective of these rides is to nurture and encourage those new to cycling. I happily sacrifice my need for speed to coach my 9-year-old son at a sub-10 mph pace, and have supported several friends as they have prepared for the AIDS Ride for Life. I believe that this kind of guidance is critical in encouraging young or new cyclists, and it will also cause our ranks to swell. I sincerely hope that there will always be special consideration given to the up-and-comers!

July Recap: Piling on the Hot and Humid Miles

Some of my July rides in the Finger Lakes region.

This July has been recognized, at least in North America, for being one of the hottest on record, and given my anecdotal evidence from many hours on the saddle, it certainly seems to have been the case. Now that I'm down to one bib and one pair of bike shorts and really only three jerseys that I regularly wear, it's been very hard to keep the bike wear clean and odor-free!

Many loads of laundry, several dozen Clif  Gels and several complete drivetrain cleanings later, I must say that I'm quite pleased with this past month of cycling. The Le Tour Challenge really kicked my ass, and that event really got my numbers up. There were certainly times that I struggled to get on the bike—it's always hard to get motivated to ride hard the day after suffering on the hills and in the heat and humidity, but inevitably my spirits would be soaring after the first climb of the day. Still, it's a relief to head out for a long ride now and not obsess about my average speed and vertical ascent statistics, in an all-out effort to rack up more stage points in the Le Tour Challenge.

Cook Rd. is at mile 28. Beware of the dogs!

Today's ride was a case in point. With a massive tailwind as I headed north through Lansing and on up to Genoa and points north, the first 27 miles of my ride were almost effortless, but I knew that I'd be fighting that same wind on the return trip. But since it was August and I didn't really care about pushing harder for a higher average speed, the ride was even more enjoyable. Also, on days like these, I find myself randomly exploring different roads in an ongoing quest for new sights and route possibilities, something I avoided when going for maximum speed. Today I ended up on Cook Rd. in Venice, getting chased by two unfriendly dogs (no owner in sight) on a chip seal road with an overwhelming amount of loose gravel. While I doubt that this road will be part of any future routes, I have no regrets, and it caused me to study the map some more to look for further alternatives.

This July I've biked more miles in a month since my last big cycle touring adventure in the early '90s, and more vertical feet since...ever. All this hillclimbing has me feeling stronger than ever on the ascents, and ready to take on bigger and better challenges.

Total July Distance: 880 miles
Total Vertical Ascent for July: 52,250 ft.

Today's ride to Venice and Genoa.