Race Day: Control the Chaos

What if I told you that I could make your race day more successful without buying any new components or even training for a minute?  You would probably take heed.  Well let’s take that hypothetical and make it into a reality.  I can make your race day more successful without telling you to buy new wheels or aerobars, or do hill repeats or over gears—despite the fact that I think you should actually do those things.  The thing is, many of you already do those things.  You have made the investment—both monetary and otherwise—in order to prevail on race day.  But there are still so many variables that can trip you up. 

Hill repeats: You should still do them.

Years ago, as an aspiring young classical musician, I would (and still sometimes do) attend masterclasses with some of the greatest players around.  They would all preach different approaches to music making, but when it came to audition day they always had the same advice when it came to the big audition.  Auditioning—or for our purposes today, racing—is all about controlling the things that you can control.  Eliminating variables that are within your reach leaves room for you to focus on the task at hand.  You want, nay, need to be focused on your race.  This means being prepared—in every sense of the word.  Not only in your training, but in every small detail that is so often overlooked. 

So the first step in any race preparation is identifying what is under your control and what is out of your control.  When setting out to prepare for an audition, I like to start with the things I cannot control.  Believe it or not it is a bit therapeutic to literally sit down and write these out.  Things like course design, climate, random mechanical failures, and disastrous acts of God would top this list.  Write out everything that is out of your control.  Now take a look at that list.  It may be pretty long, but here is the thing: you can’t do a thing about anything on that list.  Don’t waste another moment thinking about anything on that list.  If you find yourself worrying over something that you find there, then you are wasting your time and energy.  Don’t do that. 

Sometimes there can be gain without pain.

So now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about all the little details that you can control, but if left unchecked can derail your race day.  This is by no means an exhaustive list, just enough to get your mind flowing in the right direction. 

Check your fit

The points of contact for any triathlete.  

Fit is one of the most important aspects of riding a bike, yet so many people overlook it.  I won’t even get into the “how-tos” of bike fitting.  That is another topic for another time.  It’s also something that takes a long time to master, so I would highly recommend getting a fit done by a professional.  Come to think of it, I know a pretty good bike shop where they do that kind of thing. 

So now that you’re fit on your bike, it’s crucial that your fit stays where it should.  Your prerace checklist should include checking to make sure that your fit is where it is supposed to be.  Make sure your saddle has not slipped or started to point downwards.  Make sure your handlebars have not been moved or changed. 

Bike fitting can be complicated.  Once you have your pro fit done, make sure it stays where it should.

This is especially important when you have to travel to your race.  Travelling with your bike is not only notoriously difficult and expensive, but it is also ripe for mishaps when it comes to your two wheeled friend.  If you had to pack your bike make sure everything is marked before you disassemble it.  Wrap a piece of electrical tape around your seatpost to mark your saddle height, and if you have to move your handlebars, be sure to mark them so they go back into the exact same spot. Always use a torque wrench if you have any carbon components, and they aren’t a bad idea for aluminum either.  For travel we like these handy CDI wrenches that have present sizes and torque specs.  No adjustment necessary. 

CDI wrenches:  Now available at Cadence

Check your bike

It goes without saying that you should bring your bike in for a pre-race tune up.  DO NOT wait until just before the big day to take care of this.  Give yourself at least a full week between picking up your bike from the shop and race day.  Most shops operate at least 5-10 days out.  Don’t wait until the last moment to schedule your race check—you may be left out of luck.  Make sure that your tires are in immaculate condition.  Worn tires are much more likely to flat.  Check for major gouges or cuts anywhere along the tire.  Make sure your drive train is clean, lubed and adjusted correctly—replace any worn parts—chains, cassettes, etc. 

This tire would not survive a race.

So that is the obvious stuff, but what about immediately prior to your race? Some triathlons require that you put your bike in transition the night before.  Your tires will lose air overnight, so be sure you have the means to re-check those tires prior to your start in the morning.  Tire pressure is vitally important.  Don’t let something as easy as pumping up your tires lead to a flat or a crash.  This is even more important if you race tubulars.  They lose air pressure faster than clinchers, so by morning they could be at a significantly lower psi than where you left them the night before. 

Check yourself

I have a rather embarrassing story to accompany this section.  My first race ever was a local criterium put on by one of our teams, Philadelphia Ciclismo.  Like an idiot, I decided that I needed to stay super hydrated for the race—which is a good thought to have, but how I went about it was, well, not so good.  I proceeded to drink a large bottle of Gatorade before the race even started.  Going into the last corner I was in really good position.  I was thinking, “Wow, I could do okay here.”  Then my stomach—along with that bottle of Gatorade, decided otherwise.  I vomited in the final corner, finishing dead last. 

Race Day is not a day to experiment when it comes to what you eat.  

Other than being brutally embarrassing, but also quite funny, what does this story teach us about race day preparation?  Well race day should not be the day you adopt some kind of drink or meal plan that you haven’t ever had before.  Make sure you sit down with your coach (if you have one) and put together your race day menu to satisfy the calories for whatever race you are doing.  Make sure you try the menu before race day! You want to know exactly how your body will feel after drinking and eating that food. 

So do you feel better now?  Is your mind more at ease?  Thinking about all of the variables of race day shouldn’t make you feel more anxious, it should calm those anxieties.  The more variables you can check off your list, the less you have to stress out about and the more you can concentrate on the task at hand: Not puking in the last corner.  

A Certain Shade of Gray: How to Rise Above Industry Hype

The human brain loves to classify things.  It loves to simplify everything into easily definable, black and white categories.  Black and white is easy.  Right and wrong, good and evil, in or out—are all crutches for our brains to make digesting complex ideas much simpler.  The problem is, life is rarely an issue of black and white.  Our world operates on a much murkier level. 

Cycling is no exception.  The choices we make for what bike, wheels, shoes, or clothing are all decisions that should be driven by context—who, what, when, and where you are—but we, as consumers, constantly try to make these into objective decisions.  Manufacturers know this and cater to it.  They would be stupid not to—their business model depends on convincing people that their product is best.  The data that manufacturers present is not necessarily incorrect—in fact it is almost always scientifically dependable, but it is rarely put into any kind of context. 

That is our responsibility.  A good bike shop will always help you take what industry marketing tells you is scientific fact and put it in the appropriate context.  It takes more fingers than I have to count the brands that claim to have the fastest frame or wheelset on the market—and pretty much everyone of them have some kind of data—wind tunnel testing or otherwise—to support their claims.  Your easy black and white situation just turned to a certain shade of gray. 

What which shade of gray goes best with your outfit?  How do you decipher this information to get what’s best for you?  Well honestly, it is best to treat each situation on a case by case basis—and that is where having a good relationship with your LBS (Local Bike Shop) is so crucial.  But to give you a little better understanding of how we would do that, let’s partake in a short case study.  Shall we?

Let’s take a quick look at aero wheels.  There is a myriad of data out there about which wheel is fastest, and we won’t have to consider the even murkier area of bike fit (which, by the way, should absolutely be considered on a case by case basis, specific to each and every customer—be leery of anyone who tells you they are selling the fastest bike available without considering you as an individual first). 

So to start our case study, I want you to go to any major wheel manufacturers’ website and look for their wind tunnel data graph.  They all have them.  You will find something like this:

From Zipp's website.

Or this:

From HED's website.

Or This:

From ENVE Composites' website.

So each of these manufacturers take this data and make the same pitch to you: “Our wheels are faster than anyone else’s.”  And in very specific situations, none of them are wrong.  Each of those graphs support that claim.  The thing about it is, they aren’t really comparing apples to apples.  Each company controls their own testing—and I’m not trying to say they don’t give honest results, but the conditions are different in every case. 

Two of these graphs show the drag measured in grams, with no mention of how fast the wheels were tested at, or whether they were on a bike or by themselves.  The other is very specific about how the wheels were tested, but then converts the drag into watts.  Two graphs test to 20 degrees yaw, while the other stops at 15 degrees.  The Hed data does not even include any competitors’ wheelsets.  See where I’m going with this?

I’m not trying to say that these wheels are not tested correctly or even that this data is incorrect or unreliable.  I’m not even qualified to make those claims.  I’m certainly no expert in aerodynamics or lab testing.  I’m just trying to say that there is more to the story than these graphs might suggest.

A wheel that performs well in one frameset, may not in another—and it may have been tested or developed without a frame around it at all.  A wheel that tests well at one angle of yaw, may not fare as well as others in more of a crosswind.  And so it goes.  The list of variables here is lengthy. 

So how do you go about choosing wheels?  Well you need to do some soul searching I suppose.  Ask yourself those really difficult questions.   What kind of rider am I?  What am I looking for my wheels to be good at?  What kind of bike do I ride?  Am I big or little?  Then seek out the data that illuminates these questions. 

For example, a triathlete who is 5’2” and weighs 97 lbs should look for a wheel that performs well in crosswinds because of the lack of stability of aero bars and his or her small stature.  A small climbing road cyclist, on the other hand, will want a light and responsive aero wheel that does well on hills.  You get where I’m going here.

The great news for everybody in this story, is that you have a wealth of expertise in these types of questions at your fingertips—and I’m not talking about Google.   Find a local independent bike shop that you trust and support them.  These exact situations are what give these shops their value.  We deal with these exact questions on a daily basis and have a wealth of experience in getting people matched with the correct equipment.  That is something you just can’t get from a website. 

Computers, science, the internet—they are good at black and white.  They will give you all the objective information you need about the latest and greatest.  But people—specifically people that you trust—are better when trying to decipher your own certain shade of gray. 

Get Off Your Computer = Get On Your Bike

It’s summer time people.  Though it happens today to be unreasonably hot, this is the time to get out and enjoy the world—preferably on your bike.  So in an effort to give you ample time to engage in some two-wheeled tomfoolery, I’m keeping today’s post succinct.  The tour is in full swing and here are the story lines you need to be following:

SAGAN:

One of the sillier victory salutes I've seen, but hey if you can back it up... Photo: © Bettini 

The big story of the first week of the tour is, without a doubt, Peter Sagan.  He has been touted as a rising star for a couple years now, but this is his Tour de France debut.  So how do you celebrate your first Tour ride?  Well you win the first stage you take part in…of course.  Impressive. 

CAV FREELANCING:

Cav took stage two with no lead-out whatsoever. Photo: © Bettini   

Though we have seen Sagan rack up a couple stage wins quickly, it is still unclear whether he can hang with the pure sprinters on the biggest stage.  Cavendish was impressive in his freelancing in stage 2—taking a big victory with no lead-out train to speak of.  Sagan got a bit manhandled in this pure bunch sprint, so we will wait and see if he is a true sprint contender, or more of an all around/uphill sprint kinda guy. 

POINTLESS BREAKING NEWS:

Vaughters' face when he heard the news...

Today’s big news dredges up more alleged, unconfirmed details in the already tired story about a cyclist who retired several years ago.  What’s his name again?  Oh well.  The real story for—for me anyway—is that Hincapie, Leipheimer, Vande Velde, Zabriske, and Vaughters are all listed as witnesses and may have admitted to doping themselves, but in exchange for testifying against unnamed Texan cyclist, will receive shortened bans that don’t start until later this year.  All of this is still very unconfirmed though, so I’m waiting for the real hammer to come down before I make any judgments. 

CRASHES—NOTHING NEW IN THE FIRST WEEK:

Wiggins was knocked out with a brocken collar bone last year.  Which favorite will be taken out this year?

Last year’s tour was particularly crash filled in the beginning of the race.  But I’m not actually sure this year is any better, with major crashes happening in pretty much every stage so far.  The only difference this year is that no major contenders—like Wiggins last year—have been knocked out.  Keep your fingers crossed that your rooting interest doesn’t hit the deck though, as there are still a couple nervous flat finishes remaining in the first week.  Fresh legs, nervous energy, and the big lights of the biggest race of the year makes everyone think they can and should be at the front kicking for the stage—except that they can’t all fit at the front.  Look for more close calls in the next couple days until the group settles in.

CADENCE—ROCKIN’ IT TOUR DE FRANCE STYLE:

Did you see our rockin’ commercial on NBCSports?  In case you were wondering, I ride Cadence too.  Aside from the awesome production, put together by none other than one, Brady Gibney, notice the plug for our Cannondale Demo Day at the end of the commercial.  Come out on July 28^th to test some rocking Cannondales.  You won’t be disappointed. 

Now get off your computer, and go ride your bike.  

A Little Perspective

This Saturday is the day that many cyclists look forward to all year.  What comes before is just a warm-up for the main event.  Though it is not my favorite race on the calendar, I can’t deny that the Tour de France is the main event of cycling.  It has more prestige than any other race and the absolute cream of the crop design their entire year around it.  Nowhere is the competition more fierce.  No one is saving anything, hedging their bets, or just trying to get miles in their legs.  No one is using the Tour as a training race.  So it’s understandable that everyone puts this race on a pedestal.  

But do we really appreciate what these guys are doing over there in France?  Is it even really possible to comprehend exactly what goes into riding a grand tour?  Many of us avid cyclists like to think that we dedicate ourselves to this sport.  Putting all of our spare time towards getting in more miles, more climbs, more everything.  The more I learn about professional cycling, however, the more I realize just how impossibly far off we are from what pros do on a daily basis.  Sure, it is easy to say, “Of course pros are faster than us, they ride more, and they climb more.  It’s their job!”  But I don’t think that really illuminates just how difficult it is to complete a grand tour—let alone be competitive.  So today I’m gonna break it down for you.  I want to put this massive feat in perspective—as much for me as for you—so that we can really appreciate what we are seeing these athletes do over the coming month. 

Mileage:

Let’s start with the low hanging fruit.  Putting the mileage into perspective is fairly easy:  it’s a lot.  The total distance covered is 3,497 Km or 2,173 miles.  Sounds reasonable right?  I mean I know that I have ridden at least a couple thousand miles this year…Oh wait.  This happens over the course of just 23 days, with only two days off.  That changes the equation doesn’t it?  I just busted out my trusty calculator, and in case you haven’t already done the same that is roughly 103.5 miles a day.  

Some of you are probably saying, “Well I’ve ridden 100 miles in a day before.”  Maybe you have even done 100 miles a few days in a row—which you should be proud of, by the way.  But it simply doesn’t compare.  100+ miles every day for 21 days.  The two rest days are almost insulting, just thrown in there for media purposes.  

Just stop and think about that.  Think about how destroyed you were when you did your last century.  Now think about climbing on a bus as soon as you’ve finished that century, sleeping in a place you have never been before, then getting up the following morning to do it again…and again…and again.  21 times over! 

Most avid cyclists ride about 100 miles a week—200 if you’re really good about getting in those miles.  At that pace you’re looking at between (just under) three to (just over) five months to complete that kind of mileage.  Let’s say you get really ambitious and decide you want to step up your game and ride 50 miles a day.  That still puts you at 44 days to cover that ground.  Incredible.

This doesn’t even start to scratch the surface though.  We haven’t even talked about the terrain, or the speed.

Speed:

I’ve heard many pros and racing insiders say, “It’s not the course that makes a race hard, it is the speed at which it is raced.”  It’s true.  It is possible for an average Joe to cover the same ground as the Tour does, but what is not possible is for us to do it at the same speed.  Last year, Cadel Evans’ winning time was 86h 12’22”.  That breaks down to an average speed of just under 40km per hour or roughly 24 miles an hour.  Philadelphia’s gold standard for training rides, The Drives, averages around the same speed.  “So what?” you say, “I can hang on the drives ride.”  Except these guys are doing this over mountains.  Over mountains the likes of which don’t even exist within 1,000 miles of Philadelphia, for 21 days, at an average of 24 mph.  It’s kind of sickening.  

Photo: michaelbarry.ca

Most average cyclists can average 16-18 mph on any given ride.  At that speed (this is assuming you would make it over the mountains we are about to discuss) your finishing time would be 127h 50’—a mere couple days (41h 38’) off the pace. 

Terrain:

So what about these mountains that keep coming up?  In this case I have saved the best for last my friends.  The amount of vertical feet this race ascends is absolutely staggering.  This year’s edition—one that is said to “not be too bad in the mountains” and favors strong time trialists—has a total of 41,882 meters climbed.  That breaks down to 137,373 ft of climbing!  I just checked my Strava account, and my running total for the entire year since January is only 84,000 ft.  I’m no climbing freak, but I do ride a fair bit.  At this pace I’m due to reach the Tour’s total in only another 4 months.  So 10 months for me, 21 days for the pros—seems reasonable.  

Stage 18 is where the tour could be won or lost.

The worst, or maybe the best, part about the climbing is that it is concentrated.  Only four stages (11, 12, 17, and 18) account for over half of the climbing.  Stages 17 and 18 are the worst one-two punch in the race, covering 22,573 ft over 197 km, followed the very next day by 18,060 ft  over 144 km.  The worst single stage of the 2012 Tour is stage 12, where the riders will climb a staggering 24,282 ft in a single stage!

Stage 12

Calories:

So how exactly do these guys accomplish this? I mean how is it even possible for the human body to accomplish this?  Well it’s not, kind of.  Riders burn so many calories during the race that it is almost impossible not to operate at a bit of an unhealthy caloric deficit.  By the end of the three weeks of racing, the riders bodies are emaciated and on the verge of breaking.  

Riders burn on average between 3,500 and 4,500 calories a day—not including the 1,500-2,000 that it takes for your body to function.  Harder stages will burn more.  Team chefs produce menus that will force the riders to take in between 5,000 and 6,000 calories a day, sometimes more.  This pushes the limit of what the human body can even absorb.  While a racer may burn 700-1,000 calories an hour while racing, their bodies can only metabolize about 250-300.  This leaves them with a lot of calories to replenish between stages.  Just as staggering as the ground they cover is the amount they have to eat to do it.   Even after all of those calories, the riders will struggle to take in enough, likely losing a decent amount of weight during the race. 

You want to finish the tour?  You better eat!

So what do we take from all of this?  Well for one, I take from it that I will never be a professional cyclist.  But more importantly, it gives me a sense of awe and respect for anyone who has ridden a bike at this level.  We don’t even have to talk about watts, LT heart rates, or Vo2 capacities.  Just look at the raw numbers of what these guys are doing.  It’s incredible.  There may be sports out there that require more skill and technique, but no one can say that any other sport is harder than cycling on the human body.   No where are the limits of human fitness tested over such an extended period of time.  Not marathons, not Triathlons, not Ironmans.  I’m not trying to knock these sports.  These are great athletes in their own right, doing things that I could never dream of doing—and I’m sure most professional cyclists couldn’t do quite as well either.  I’m not aware, however, of any event that asks you to run a marathon every day for three weeks straight.  It’s almost laughable that someone would conceive of such a thing and expect that someone would be able to actually complete it.  Not only complete it, but race it.  Race it at speeds that even accomplished amateurs can only touch on their very best days. 

It’s no wonder then that the cycling world stops and stares when the grand tours are happening.  They are truly worth beholding. 

Viva l'Italia liberata e redenta: The Story of Wilier Triestina

There are plenty of bike brands in the world today.  In the age of mass manufacturing, pretty much anyone can buy a ticket to Taiwan, pick a mold out of a catalog, and have a brand created in their likeness.  Brands are fleeting, coming and going like the tide.  I suppose it is the nature of business these days.  Many of the large brands that dominate the market these days have lost personality.  A brand’s sense of self used to be tied to its history, its home.  In today’s “what have you done for me lately” culture, brands’ identities are subject to their marketing and engineering budget.  

It’s not all apocalyptic Sturm und Drang though.  There are still brands out there that tout a history as impressive as their design credentials—championing an old country idea of cycling and its roots.  Wilier Triestina is one of those brands.  Over 100 years of cycling history roll with these bikes—the brand surviving two world wars and scoring big wins in almost every major cycling event, from the Classics to Worlds.  But Wilier is more than just an old brand.  They didn’t simply live through this history.  The history is a part of them, woven into every bike they make.  The greatest part is, though, that Wilier does not let their brand be defined by their history.  They don’t honor their proud past by becoming trapped under it, producing outdated bikes with outdated technology.  Despite having more tradition than just about any brand out there, Wilier Triestina produces decidedly forward looking machines.  

The Factory at the base of the Monte Grappa

Da Capo

Wilier Triestina (pronounced Vee’-lee-air Tree-es-tee’-na, more on the name later) started under the moniker of Ciclomeccanica Dal Molin in 1906, which if you remember my Giro d’Italia post, was three years before the first Giro.  At the base of the Monte Grappa climb, about 60 miles from Venice, Pietro Dal Molin began producing bicycles.  This continued, as you would expect it to, until World War I, when Pietro’s son, Mario, took over the business.

Mario Dal Molin grew the brand considerably, using chrome and nickel plating—not something common place among bike builders back then—to expand the brand’s renown.  This growth continued until World War II, which the company was able to weather relatively unabated.  

A classic Wilier build done by Cadence.

The old head badge

Wilier collaborated with Campagnolo to produce special Wilier branded components.  Wilier still does this today with FSA.

The build featured custom hand built wheels and complete Wilier branded Campagnolo group--even the hubs!

Il Nome

So how did Ciclomeccanica Dal Molin become Wilier Triestina?  The name is a tribute to the Italian city of Trieste on the Adriatic Sea.  The city and its surrounding coastal area had been a controversial land since the Austro-Hungarian Empire dissolved after World War I.  Post World War II the area remained occupied.  Dal Molin created a cycling team and named it Wilier Triestina, inspired by the Italian patriotism of those living in the occupied area of Trieste.

The Trieste Coat of Arms.  Similar to a Fleur de Lis, this would later become Wilier's logo.

The first half of the name, Wilier, is actually an acronym.  The “W” stands for the Italian double V (there is no “W” in the Italian alphabet)—or an abbreviation of the Italian word “viva”.   The whole of the phrase goes something like this: Viva l’Italia liberata e redenta—Long live Italy, liberated and redeemed.

When Dal Molin created the Wilier Triestina team he picked a Trieste native, Giordano Cottur—a three-time Giro d’Italia winner himself—to lead the team.  After great racing success with the team, the company adopted the name.

Cottur solos to victory in the Giro d'Italia

The company grew along with its racing pedigree—racking up countless victories in major races—until the Italian reconstruction of the early 1950s brought an economic boom along with motorized and industrial progress.  Italian bicycle companies suffered the consequences of affordable motorized transportation, and Wilier was forced to close its doors in 1952.

The name Wilier Triestina was a great inspiration for all Italians following World War II.

Don’t worry though, the story doesn’t end there.  In 1969 Lino Gastaldello resurrected the brand, building it to the brand you see today.  As before with Dal Molin, Lino built the brand around racing.  The first sponsorship of the Gastaldello era was of the Mecap Hoonved team in 1979 and the result was a Giro d’Italia stage win by Mario Beccia.  They haven’t looked back since.  Recent results include Rebellin winning the historic triple crown of the Ardennes Classics, winning Amstel Gold, Fleche Wallone, and Liege-Bastogne-Liege in 2004.  Ballan won The Tour of Flanders in 2007 and followed the next year with the World Championship Road Race.  Scarponi and his Lampre counterparts have found the new Zero.7 to their liking in recent Giro d’Italias—Scarponi being named the official winner of the 2011 Giro after Contador’s doping suspension. 

The new Twin Blade TT bike. 

So what does all this mean for you though?  Why should you care about a brand’s history?  Why should you want a Wilier?  Ride one.  I don’t even have to try to sell them to you.  Ride one and you will see what 100 years of cycling tradition gets you.  Wilier’s current models push the envelope just as much, if not more so, than other manufacturers that brag of their engineering prowess.  They were one of the first brands around to really invest in aerodynamics—both on their road model, the Imperiale, and their wild looking Cento Crono and the new Twin Blade.  Their Cento1 SL has for years been one of the most impressive bikes on the market, and the new Zero.7 pushes the limits of how light carbon can really get (we built a size 54 in the shop that tipped the scales at around 12 lbs!)

Innovation is not everything though.  Wilier executes their bikes with a flair that is rare in today's engineering driven market.  They understand that a bike should not only be fast, but it should be sexy.  It should make you want to ride it.  That type of panache carries over to the rider--giving you a real sense of pride when you are riding.  The craftsmanship is beautiful, the bikes look beautiful, and the ride is beautiful.  What more can you ask for?

It’s pretty clear they are not resting on their laurels.  They’re not resting on anything.  Wilier is a brand built of national pride, a classic racing pedigree, and technical innovation.  I don’t see them stopping anytime soon.

Tricks of the Trade

There are a lot of bike mechanics in the world.  It’s often a field that is shrouded in a bit of mystery and a whole mess of grumpy dudes.  There seems to be two ways to break into this industry—although I’m not sure “break in” is the right way to say it.  You can either buck up and pay the money to go to a reputable mechanics school, or you can start at the very bottom—sweeping floors—and learn little by little.  I was lucky, in a sense, to happily fall into an invaluable 6+ years of working in shops starting at the ripe old age of 14.  I worked in shops throughout my high school and college years learning bit by bit on all types of two wheeled contraptions.  Twelve years later, I’ve learned the secret signs of an attentive bike mechanic. 

The old-school rules of the bicycle mechanic.  Photo Credit: Philip Gale

Whether you see them or not, I take great care in getting even the smallest of details right—every time.  Now I’m not trying to say that I’m perfect—I know it’s hard to believe, but even I occasionally make a mistake.  These details are often small or even insignificant, but they create a type of secret language between wrenches.  I look at your bike and can tell a great deal about the last mechanic (whether professional or just you in your garage) who last tweaked your ride. 

I’m not trying to indict your local bike shop’s mechanic.  I’m just about to let you in on the secret—show you what pro mechanics look for in other pro mechanics’ work.  Because at a certain point, just getting the gears to shift correctly isn’t enough.  There has to be some extra art to it, an extra challenge to keep you engaged after you have adjusted your 1,000^th front derailleur (although I have to admit that there are still plenty of mechanics out there who have yet to figure out that pesky front derailleur). 

So here is a short list of secret (or not so secret) industry secrets that many pro mechanics religiously adhere to for no good performance reason:

Cables and Housing:

Cables and housing are ripe for detail work—and not difficult to make look good, but so many people just leave them long and sloppy.  It often rather time consuming to shorten cables to their correct and proper length, and outside of aesthetics there is no major functional reason to cut them down—except for the fact that it is not pro. 

Cables should be short and neat.  

Cable ends should be short, but not too short (two finger widths is a good guide) and should be neatly crimped with the correct size cable end.

An unfiled brake housing

Filed brake housing

All brake housing should be filed to a flush end.  This makes braking feel more crisp—or at least that’s what I tell myself when I question why I do it.  It is a detail that is literally buried inside your shifter or a cable ferrule, so pretty much nobody knows or cares whether or not I do it (except me, of course), so I do it every time.  

For really special builds, matching the labels on the cable housing is a nice aesthetic touch.  I don’t do this for everyone though, so if you notice that I did it on your build: consider yourself special. 

Wheels:

Matching labels with the valve: it's pro.

Wheels are another detail that often gets overlooked.  One of the most common pointless mechanical rules is lining up the label of your tire with the valve of the tube.  This is literally the first thing you learn when you start working in a shop—and I have no idea why.  I have heard several far-fetched ideas why, but I don’t buy any of them.  You should do it for the same reason you shave your legs: just because.

Make sure you can read your hub label through your valve hole.

The pointless mechanical rule of wheelbuilding:  You should lace a wheel such that you can read the label on the hub through the valve hole of the rim.  Again, no practical value, but this is how pretty much every professional builds wheels.  It was one of the first tips I received when building my first wheelset. 

Bartape:

Of all the things a mechanic can do to a bike, wrapping bars is my favorite.  It’s not complicated, but it actually takes a fair bit of practice and focus to do exactly right.  Each successive wrap should be even and parallel.  Throw those extra little strips of tape that come in the box away.  If you wrap a tight figure eight pattern around the hoods, they are totally unnecessary and only get in the way.  Finish with neatly done black electrical tape.  A well taped bar should stay tightly wrapped for as long as you need it to. 

A well wrapped bar.

These are just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak.  Being a good wrench is more than simply lining up labels.  And I also want to be clear that I’m not trying to say these are sure fire signifiers of quality.  I’m sure there are some pretty great mechanics out there that don’t file their brake housing, and some pretty terrible ones that do, but isn’t it just so much easier to make overly simplified generalizations?  Yeah, I think I’ll stick with that.  So beware.  Next time you see a pro mechanic break one of these sometimes non-sensical rules, grab your bike and run.  They are assuredly about to break it. 

To be fair, these are details that most mechanics are aware of, but occasionally neglect for whatever reason.  Whether these small details are the actual signifiers of a quality mechanic is besides the point.  They are a sign of someone who takes pride in their work.  Taking the extra time to make sure the details are right maybe doesn't gain you any time in a time trial, but it should give you a real sense of pride in the machine you are riding, and surely that is an advantage that is hard to quantify.