Equipment - Thomson Ti Seatpost Bolts

In the off season I think about both small and large improvements I can make to the bike. Usually these things are much less significant than any improvement I can make to the nut that holds the seat down (aka me) but it's fun thinking about the technical stuff.

For me large things means things that usually impact aerodynamics, like wheels or a frame or maybe an aero road helmet.

I consider any weight savings over half a pound significant also, so being able to get a BB30 Cannondale SI SRM crankset, with a complete weight of about 675 grams, was a nice move from my then-current Campy Record cranks that came in at just under 1000 grams for a combination of the square taper BB and the cranks themselves.

For those keeping track every 45 grams is a tenth of a pound. 90 grams is two tenths. 225 grams is about half a pound. That's rough but it's close - it's 454 grams per pound so you can do the conversions on any weight savings you do on your bike.

A bonus on weight savings is if the weight savings transfers from one bike to another. Saving weight on a saddle that I might use for 5 or 8 years is better to me than saving weight on a chain that will wear out in a season or two.

Back in the day I used to really hone the stuff on my bikes, really push them to the limits. I experimented with drilling out chainrings (remember that Mike?) and found, to my dismay, that my drilled out chainrings were so flexible they were virtually unusable.

On the other hand I found that using lighter titanium bolts throughout the bike would save me about 100-200 grams. If I could replace some big steel bolts, at that time in parts like the bottom bracket bolts, pedal axles, or brake center bolts, then the savings would hit 200 grams. If I only did the surface bolts, like water bottle screws, cable anchoring bolts, stem bolts, stuff like that, then I'd be closer to the 100g number.

My current favorite post, one that I've been using since about 1997, is the Thomson Elite seat post. It's well designed, it's been through a few saddle failures, at least two crashes, and it's worked super well. It's reasonably light (just over a tenth heavier than the lighter Masterpiece), and I played with the idea of trying to lighten it up.

On the black Tsunami, with the integrated seat post set up, my Thomson lost a lot of weight when I cut it down to about four inches. For the now-red Tsunami I have something like 18 cm of post showing - cutting it down won't help much.

I looked at a set of Ti bolts for the Thomson. I don't remember what it saved, something paltry like 14 grams, but I put it in my favorites just so I'd remember it existed.

At some "incremental improvement" level it appealed to me. It worked with a number of my seat posts (I have at least three Thomsons in use right now). It transfers from bike to bike. It saves some rotating weight (because it's up high I notice significant weight changes in the saddle when sprinting).

All those things made it cool.

Then, at some point, I decided to clear out my favorites of all the nonsensical whimsical stuff I saved, like a pair of bolts that would save me 14 grams. I mean, seriously, I'll pee more than that before a race.

So imagine my surprise when a package showed up.

Ti bolts for a Thomson seatpost

Apparently I didn't delete it from my favorites but added it to my cart instead. In my standard "click-click-click" I didn't notice it in my cart and now walla, it's here at the house.

I'll install it. I mean, what the heck. Lots of anti-seize, lots of care, and some weighing before and after to see if it really saved me 14 grams.

And now I gotta check my order history because I had also put a wicked cool wireless Cannondale SI SRM PC7 equipped crankset in my favorites. $15 bolts I can excuse. $3500 cranksets not so much.

Equipment - Thomson Seat Posts

When I build up a new bike, I spec out a bunch of the non-group parts in a specific way:

I want to install it and forget it.

What I don't want is a part that will loosen up spontaneously, or be difficult to adjust, or crack after 6 months of summer abuse.

At the same time, when people ask me about setting up their own bike, I tell them to get good non-group parts. Wheels, of course, but that's worth twenty posts itself. The other parts include the saddle, pedals, bars, stem, and seat post.

Each of these bits play a critical part on your bike - if one breaks, or loosens, or gets compromised in any way, your race is over.

Other parts may not be critical, even if at first glance they seem "critical". My good friend and long-time co-promoter Gene broke his rear derailleur cable in a critical race (he was working for me in the race). His bike suddenly became a two speed bike - 39x12 and 53x12. Nonetheless he contributed a lot to what ended up being a close win for me. He even launched a last lap attack to string out the field, per my request before the race.

In a more high caliber race, Tom Prehn (former winner of the Philly race, a long time domestic pro, and now the boss at Cateye) started off a race with a broken front derailleur cable or clamp. Whatever it was, he was out of luck, with no spare bike, at the start of a 100 mile road race in New England. He quickly realized that he wouldn't make it to the big climb halfway into the race if he has just his small ring, so he quickly maxed out his limit screw to keep the chain on the big ring.

Halfway into the race, on the big climb, he went to the front, rode in the big ring (of course), and pushed the pace. Everyone else, content to let him set the pace, simply followed him. At the end of the day he won the race.

The point is that if you can still ride or pedal your bike, you can still race.

But if your bars break, or your stem doesn't stay tight anymore, your seat rails disintegrate, or your seatpost drops into the seat tube, you're SOL.

You know, for "So Outta Luck".

A part is working well when you no longer think about it. Because of that I've been using Thomson seat posts since, well, about 9 or so years ago.

Seatposts, according to my "lose weight in the hidden, boring components" rule, end up a prime place for bicycle weight loss. You'd be surprised at how much some posts weigh. Light posts let the bike wiggle a bit better when you're sprinting out of the saddle. They can remove a good half pound off of some bikes, more on lower end ones.

I let myself get seduced by superlight posts back in the day. You could tell that my (younger) glazed eyes ignored various warning signs. I ended up losing my saddle a few times when bolts or clamps failed, one post start moving around when the post got crushed when I hit a bump (I was all of 140 lbs or so), and the wide assortment of parts I've saved from various different seatposts.

At some point, when I got sick of my posts moving, sliding, twisting, crushing, cracking, and snapping, I went looking for the lightest super reliable post possible. I ended up with two final choices, but one company's product has been reliably available through various shops:

Thomson.

When I put my Cannondale together, one of the most important things I did was to install a Thomson post. Likewise, when I realized I would be racing the Riggio track bike more often, I put one on that too. Even the Giants I had before had Thomson posts.

So, yeah, I like the posts.

They're reasonably light. They adjust easily, but don't move once you tighten down the adjusting bolts. I can forget about it once I'm done with it.

In other words, they work.

That's all you can ask from a post.

Riggio - Version 1.2.1.0

Since I didn't go to the track Wednesday...

(Oh, I just checked - races were cancelled last night.. um.. so I really was going to go but the races were cancelled, that's why I didn't go... really... not because I was exhausted and could barely keep my eyes open...)

Riggio, updated.

Before. Note extreme bar/stem combo, old cranks, set-back post, white saddle. I don't know why I didn't use white tape to begin with, but whatever.

I'm proud to announce the Riggio, verision 1.1.2.1

As a refresher:

Version.Functionality.SubFunctionality.Fixes

Since I'm borrowing this from the programming world, I should point out that programmers don't like to admit making mistakes. Therefore they avoid "Fixes" if at all possible. If they actually have a broken line of code, they'll fix it by adding functionality (or subfunctionality). This way their version retains that all-important "0" after the last dot (x.x.x.0).

Of course, although not a programmer, I've been trained in that same way of thinking, so I'm avoiding Fixes as well. So why is the "1" there? Read on.

With that in mind, it's still a Riggio, so it's version 1.x.x.x.

Functionality is a bit different. I'm calling it Dot One (.1) because I changed my position on the bike. The biggest changes were in the stem, bars, and seat post, all of which contribute to making the bike much closer to my Cannondale in terms of fit and feel. The bars are higher and closer to me and the seat is further forward than before. Basically I'm more centered on the bike, and I feel much more at ease in tighter quarters.

Much higher and closer bars.

Titanio saddle, but a heavier Ti railed one. Thomson post, 26.6 mm, no set-back.

I've also updated some Sub-functionality (2 ways): stiffer cranks complete with cartridge bearings in the bottom bracket (1), a 1/8" chain with a master link (2), some other stuff (1/8" chain chainring, which I promptly removed). The cranks are stiffer, the bearings are nicer (the old ones were kind of crunchy), and the crank is designed to accept a single ring.

Most of this is "nicer" but doesn't change anything significant, like fit. For example, the cranks are the same length, I'm using the same chainring as before (and therefore the same gear), and the chain replaces a perfectly good laterally flexible chain.

Blurry SRAM track cranks. Note the recessed fitting for the single chainring bolts.

I reused my 3/32" wide 50T chainring after I learned I can't spin the originally-included-with-the-cranks 48T (it happened to be 1/8" wide) fast enough. In fact, I changed the ring at the track after the Scratch Race. I started unscrewing the chainring bolts even as the Bs were doing the second half of the race - I'd gotten ridden off the back of the group that quickly.

I should point out that I actually made most of the described changes at the bike shop on the way to the track. So Test was at the shop, UAT was a few laps of warm-up, and Prod was the Scratch Race. I immediately updated the gearing after one race.

Hence the Fix.

Regardless, I definitely need more rollers work. I'm also thinking of getting a training wheel, fitted with a 16T or 17T, for both warming up and learning to spin. I could just get another cog, but that would involve figuring out how to undo the lockring (I used a screwdriver and a hammer to tighten it).

I'll have to think about that a bit more.

As far as Fixes goes, if I'd just replaced the cranks, it'd have been a huge bug fix, because the cranks weren't working super well. I admit that the (mismatched to BB) left crank arm loosened up on its own, and I know that. Not only that, when I went to remove the arms, both of them were finger tight - the right one also popped off with just a touch of the crank removal tool.

But, and that's a big But, since I replaced the cranks and bottom bracket as a unit, and I got functionality - a better Q-factor (pedals are closer together left to right) and more stiffness - I'm counting this as an upgrade, not a fix.

That's my story and I'm sticking with it.

And now you know why the newest versions of programs sometimes don't work well - they fix things by introducing something new without admitting any error. But the underlying cause of the new feature is a programmer that made a mistake, and they're just covering things up by introducing a new feature, which, if written by the same programmer/s, will probably have other errors in it.

Anyway, the bike is what it is, Fix and all.

I did notice that the frame feels extremely stiff. I did my "grab the seat and the stem and flex back and forth" thing. I expected a decent amount of movement so I felt pleasantly surprised when my first flex attempt failed pretty miserably. More force got the frame to wiggle some, but nowhere near what I expected. I guess having a 7 pound frame and fork means there's a lot of beef in there.

I was talking to someone about bikes and technology. The guy's son was an Elite level racer (and old enough to be working on a "real" career), and his dad was a framebuilder and racer back before WW2. His track bikes were typically weighed in at 18 pounds.

My bike weighs in at 18 pounds!

Okay, 17.9 according to the digital scale, but I'll call that 18. Progress, right?

So how is the bike now?

At top speed, I don't feel totally comfortable on the sprint line, the line at the base of the track. The bike wants to move up a bit, and I seem to go fastest at the top of the sprint lane. I think a bit more technique will help the most, but I can't help but wonder if moving a bit of weight forward would help, i.e. a bit lower bar, maybe one that's a bit further forward. For now I'll focus on technique because I think I lack a lot in that department.

I definitely have more weight on the rear wheel, with the much shorter bar/stem combination. I don't have the problem where the rear wheel skids and slips under pressure.

I also feel that the front tire bounces a bit on the rougher-than-a-hardwood-floor track. I've even reduced pressure down to about 110 psi, and it still bounces. I may have to go with a softer tire, or reduce pressure even more.

I started writing this post a while ago, intending it to be a follow up to the first day I raced it in its present format. But, like software, I've already gotten newer version/s in testing. Well, beyond "Test" because that's just seeing if the thing still works (wheels turn and stuff like that).

Test happens on the workstand. You just see if the bike works at the most basic level.

UAT ("User Acceptance Testing") happens on the track, the rolling around to see how things feel when I'm riding the bike. It's one step beyond spinning the cranks on the workstand. A "test ride" if you will.

Of course the final testing phase is Prod ("Production"), something an old boss used to say all the time. If this bike was software, Prod would be when the software gets used by the intended end user, i.e. it goes on the market. But since it's a bike, Prod is when I race the bike. Real life stresses typically outweigh any Test or UAT stresses, so that's when I'll know exactly what's what. Then I'll make changes as necessary.

Suffice it to say that, after a couple days of Prod, I've discovered not much has changed. Yes, the bike feels more secure - not having a wiggly left crankarm really helps make it feel, well, more secure. The non-slipping seatpost design helps immensely too (instead of trying to level the saddle while I'm racing, I actually don't worry about the saddle moving).

I've also verified that the nut holding the seat down needs some work, but the bike itself has been slightly more optimized for that nut's riding style.

(For those of you who didn't get it, I'm the nut that holds the seat down.)

Those of you who race at the track know I've already made one significant change, and one guy even knows of a couple Test pieces that need to be UAT'ed and then put into Prod (the pieces never made it more than a couple feet from my car at the track).

And, as I'm learning more about the track, I've realized that I'll want to bring a compact little race kit for trackside use. One required item - a cooler, with water and energy drink. I already did this last week. The other thing would be a minor tool kit - cog (if I had more), lockring tool and chain whip (those two items for changing cogs), allen wrenches for any adjustments, maybe even a couple chainrings for gear changes.

Although separate from the bike, I'm mentioning this because the bike is set up with one gear. Unlike a road bike, where you adjust for a new condition or new event simply by shifting gears, with the track bike you have to mechanically update the bike to get the same effect.

Keep it tuned here for further update reports.

Equipment - Preparing to Race

With my upcoming West Coast Training Camp coming up, I started to finalize preparations for the trip. I've been hoarding the clothing I'll bring out there so I don't have to worry about washing and drying stuff the night before I leave. I've been careful to put extra parts and pieces as necessary in my gear bag.

And, as of last night, my bike now has a zero setback post and the criterium bend Mavic 350 bars.

Since I got two scales for Christmas, one for components and one for bikes, I decided to weigh the parts I removed and compare them to the weights of the parts I'd be installing.

Unfortunately for me, the net result of my "fit" work was a gain of about 90 grams, 0.2 pounds. I removed the lightweight Alien carbon post (whose design I'm not fond of anyway) and installed in its place a Thomson post (the normal one, not the lighter Masterpiece) and a shim to adapt it to the 31.6 mm seat tube. This resulted in a 53 gram gain, but the faster, more forward position should be well worth it.

What it looks like now. It's level, the angle makes it look like it's pointing down. I stayed with the Fizik seat.

I got to raise my seat a bit (because to keep the sacred BB-seat distance consistent, if you move the saddle forward, closer to the BB, you also have to move it up). This minute change will also improve my aerodynamics since I can hold a low position more easily, and, I hope, my top speed.

The latter reason is in my head since I have no empirical proof, but it seems to hold true. And therefore it works for me.

The tape before I removed it. Seemed a pity but it had to be done.

The other thing I did was to lose the 3ttt anatomic road bar, the wide and squared off bar I like in the winter. It's great for long rides but horrible for sprinting or threading through miniscule gaps in the field. I replaced it with a long-discontinued Mavic 350 crit bar. These narrower bars are better for getting up front when necessary, and the extra centimeter of drop will let me hold a more forward rotated, lower position.

As far as the numbers, I gained 10 mm in drop, lost 15 mm in width and gained 37 grams in weight.

Again, though, this is functional weight. I wouldn't sacrifice the fit of the crit bar for a few grams of saved weight.

The last thing I need to do is to swap out the normal brake pads for the carbon specific Swiss Stop pads. After a fruitless search for exactly how to do swap the pads, I winged it. I'll be posting my 'findings' in a later post.

With the right brake pads I can slow how and when I need to do so, and that'll give me the confidence necessary to descend like a madman out West. With the shorter descents around here I've been able to comfortably hit 45 mph with no sprinting, no unusually aggressive tucks, in freezing cold conditions, all this on non-aero box section wheels.

The warmer climate out west lets me wear thinner gear, allowing me to tuck much more aggressively, sprint faster, and attempt to attain higher top speeds. The Cannondale SystemSix frameset feels much more stable and predictable than my Giant TCR, and on that Giant I was hitting 50 mph before I lost my nerves out west. With the aero wheels I recently got for training, I hope the SystemSix will let me accelerate until I hit the aerodynamic wall, not force me to brake once I lost confidence in the bike.

As a follow up to the weight gaining fit updates, I attempted to lose some of the gained weight by swapping out the standard cable housing and replacing it with the Nokon stuff I have on two other bikes. I'm not keen on the shifter housing but the brakes should be fine. I don't know the weight difference but the Nokon stuff feels noticeably lighter than the steel Ergo housing.

I confirmed this when I swapped out the brake housing. Without compromising any shifting (I prefer the real stuff for the shift housing), the Nokons dropped 25 of the 90 grams I gained for a net gain of 65 grams. Not a lot for the significant functional and fit upgrades which caused the gain.

After a final session of riding, to make sure the levers are straight (because no matter what they're always crooked) I'll be wrapping the bars.

And then the bike will be done.