Toe Numbness

This weekend I took a ride along my usual route of the south shore lake trail. In order to adequately describe the situation, I have to back up to earlier that morning. My aunt and uncle were in town for a concert the night before and I had met them at Cafe Du Monde for some coffee and beignets (fried squares of dough, think french donut covered in a pound of powdered sugar). This was what constituted the entirety of my breakfast that day. Let me just say this as clearly as possible, beignets are not the breakfast of champions...

I started my ride with a warm up to the trail. Once on the trail, I picked up the pace and maintained a cruising speed of about 15 mph. For the first 6 miles of the ride, I regretted my decision to have beignets. The powered sugar and grease had formed some sort of unholy alliance in my stomach and made me feel as though I was carrying a 20 pound baby made of bricks. As the miles wore on, my speed steadily decreased.

Luckily, about 4.5 miles into the ride, I was passed by two guys riding at a pace I hoped to maintain (one on a Scott and the other on a Schwinn Le Tour). I snuck in behind them and resolved to stay with them no matter what. For the next two miles, my mind was distracted by the desire not to drop off my new unofficial pack. At 6.5 miles, we came to the end of the trail and the pair road off. I, however, was not done. I turned around and began the journey to the other end of the trail.

I had only ridden another two miles when I experienced something I had never felt before while riding. As I neared the 9 mile mark, my toes on both feet went completely numb. I adjusted the straps on my shoes hoping the increased blood flow would resolve the issue but the problem persisted. Around this same time, my chain started to jump between gears with every shift. Every downshift would provide one full revolution of the crank in the proper gear then the chain would begin to slip between the higher gear selected and the lower gear I had just left. I continued on for a quarter of a mile to diagnose exactly what was wrong, figuring that I must have knocked something out of alignment when I services my chain before the ride.

I was forced to stop and adjust the rear derailleur. Luckily this solved two problems: First, the derailleur was fixed and I could continue the ride with smooth pedal strokes. Second, my toe numbness went away. I was only off the bike for two or three minutes but the feeling in my toes had returned and the problem never returned throughout the rest of the ride.

I continued to the opposite end of the trail and then rode back to my entry point and ultimately home. In just over 30 miles of riding, I had experienced more nuisances than I ever had before in an entire week of riding. That said, I still got to spend some quality time on my bike, with my thoughts, and enjoying what the day had to offer me.

One last note in regards to this report: The Bontrager Fusion Gel gloves that I have been using will soon find that they have been replaced. I have made every adjustment possible to my hand position and the contact point of my hands on the bike. There is simply no way to make these gloves comfortable. I may soon find myself reverting back to Pearl Izumi Gels or Specialized BG gloves but Bontrager gloves will no longer be a part of my cycling equipment. Ultimately, the shotty quality and padding design cannot be overcome. These gloves have the least effective padding of any gloves I have ever tried. Those who know me or are regular readers of this blog know that I love my Bontrager Privateer and therefore want to give the benefit of the doubt to anything with that name (yes, I know it is now a marketing tool only but a little willful disbelief never hurt anyone). That said, there is no excuse for these gloves...

It May Be Time For A New Cockpit

Lately I have been toying with the idea of swapping out the handlebar and stem on my Bontrager. The original bar, Bontrager Race, is 560mm wide with a 5 degree bend. It is a flat bar with no rise whatsoever. Although it has served me well over the past 18 years, I am becoming increasingly sensitive to pain and numbness in my hands.

The stem is a relatively new Soma Shotwell in 100mm. There is also an additional issue of a growing awareness of the amount of weight over the front wheel. This has become much more pronounced since switching to a rigid fork. This will likely necessitate a swap to a shorter stem to move some of my body weight back.

When I purchased the Bontrager in '96, 25.4mm was the industry standard for clamp diameter on handlebars and stems. Since that time, the standard has changed to 31.8mm. Because of this, I feel it would be easier to simply swap both which would allow for a greater choice in which bar and which stem instead of restricting me to the antiquated 25.4mm clamp size.

Now comes the task of choosing a new cockpit. Handlebars come in flat, low rise, medium rise, and high rise, all of which are available with varying degrees of upsweep and backsweep. Alternative bars are also available with bend configurations that seem initially more stylish than functional. Lengths are typically longer than my admittedly narrow 560mm, ranging upwards of 700mm and longer. While aluminum is still the material of choice, carbon fiber handlebars have entered into the realm of affordability.

My initial thoughts are an 80mm stem with 6 degrees of rise paired with a 650mm low rise handlebar. This combination seems like it would bring the bar up and back, thereby relieving some of the pressure on my hands while not drastically altering the handling of the bike. I still have no idea whether I will go with aluminum or carbon.

This is going to be a process of trial and error. I suspect it may be a while until I am able to settle on a combination that fits my needs. Until that time, I will keep you informed of my progress as long as you agree to make some suggestions along the way (I do not want to get lost in a sea of choices).

Follow-up Review - Yeti Hardcore Lock-On Grips

So I finally got around to installing the new mountain bike grips. As expected, the installation went relatively smoothly. The only hitch that I noticed was that once the end caps were installed, it was difficult to determine if the grip was fully on the bar. It really came down to a judgment call. Ultimately, I figured if I tightened the outer ring first and did not notice any movement then I assumed it was in place.

The grips definitely feel more secure in my hands. I placed the large logo so that my palm falls naturally on top of it. This has created noticeably more cushion in palm than the Ritchey TGV grips they replace. I tightened the grips to factory specs. There is no side-to-side or rotational play in these grips. They are not going anywhere!

Even though both the TGV and Yeti Hardcore grips are designed for twist shifters, the Yetis are slightly shorter. In the photo below, you can see the gap between the inside of the grip and the shifter. That gap is the difference in length between the two. I have medium hands for an adult male and I cannot say I miss any of the extra length.

Initial Impressions - Yeti Hardcore Lock-on Grips

Another safety related addition this week has been these Yeti Hardcore Lock-on Grips. During my last mountain bike excursion, I was navigating a section of downhill when the right grip slipped off. The Ritchey TGV grips that have been on the bars for several years have excellent grip to the hand. The issue I had was that my hand was still holding the grip but the grip was no longer attached to the bar! It was time for them to go. I spent a great deal of time searching for shorty grips (90mm) but it appears that in the years that I have spent away from the bike scene, twist shifts have all but died out for aftermarket support. After all was said and done, I stopped by Bayou Bicycles in New Orleans and had them order me a set of these. 

I have enjoyed Yeti Hardcore grips in the past. They have a good level of cushion when the large logo is positioned for palm side placement and the smaller text provides excellent gripping texture. While they still feel a little slim, they fill up the hand nicely when paired with a good pair of gloves.

This latest version of Hardcores is the lock-on variety. I have heard excellent things about lock-on technology and I am hoping that I will never experience the terror of riding downhill with only one hand on the bar! The lock-on clamps seem fairly straight forward. The level of mechanical skill required to install these grips is about on par with installing a water bottle cage (i.e. extremely easy).

I will be installing these on the Bontrager as soon as I get back from my road ride this evening. I will post more pictures as well as a more thorough review soon.

Have a favorite straight bar grip? Tell me about it.

Review - Bontrager RL Fusion GelFoam Gloves

It had been over 10 years since I last bought a pair of cycling gloves. The pair of Pearl Izumi gel gloves I had served me well. Comfortable, they fought hand numbness to the bitter end. When they finally expired, grip had been on a steady decline. The loss of grip was so gradual, however, that I was able to slowly become accustomed to it. The final death blow came when the pads on the palms simply feel off. This is in no way to be considered a flaw of the gloves. As I said, they lasted a good 10 years of heavy use.

When it came time to seek out a replacement, I opted to examine a name that had served me well with other products. Those who know me know how much I cherish my Bontrager Privateer. I decided to see what the Bontrager name had to offer when it came to gloves. Bontrager, a company that began as a small manufacturer of legendary hand-made frames, is now the in-house brand for Trek. Trek now applies the Bontrager name to pretty much anything outside of frames that comes out of their factories. 

Bontrager offers four variations of short fingered gloves. Of those, the RL Fusion GelFoam Gloves seemed to best fit the features I was looking for and the price point I was interested in. I placed an order for a white pair with GNO Cyclery (a New Orleans LBS that I have done extensive business with in the past). It only took a few days and I received a call that my gloves had arrived. I went down to the shop that afternoon and picked them up.

My initial impressions were strong. The fit was spot on and the stitching and finish looked well executed. Two of the features I appreciated the most upon inspection were the rubberized pull tab at the base of the palm to pull the gloves on and a rubberized cinch tab on the cuff restraint. Both of these features made the gloves much easier to get on and off as well as adjusting the cuff. 

Although I have only used these gloves on a handful of rides averaging only around 25km per ride, I have developed a better understanding of their true quality. First, and most importantly, these gloves provide excellent grip and I am pleased to say I have not experienced any numbness when riding my road bike. I have, however, noticed a little numbness on my mountain bike but this may be attributable to other factors - such as I notice I place a lot more of my weight on my hand when riding the Privateer.

The one negative thing I have to say about these gloves it that shortly after beginning use, the rubber application on the cuff adjustment for one of the gloves has separated from the velcro strap. I will attempt to remedy this with a judicious application of super glue. I hope this is not an indication of the true build quality of these gloves.

Next I will be looking for a set of full fingered gloves. Any suggestions?

Bontrager Privateer

A 1996 Bontrager Privateer Comp has been my bike of choice when attacking trails in the woods or simply looking for a leisurely ride around town. I bought this bike new in 1996 as a high school graduation present to myself. Of course, being a high school student, money was tight so when I picked up the bike it looked like a random selection of parts from all the deletions I made to fit it in my budget. Here is the catalog showing the parts the bike was supposed to come with. I had the shop delete the tires, tubes, seat, and pedals and I cannibalized parts from my aging Trek 820 to replace those.

The year before I bought this bike, I had broken my wrist and arm in a soccer game. Because of that injury, I had the shop replace the X-Ray Grip Shifts and Dia-Comp brake levers with a single Shimano XT combination unit. This alleviated my mental discomfort about changing hand position and rotating my wrist while on the trail. The other parts were replaced with Continental Explorers (gum wall of course), a Vetta TT Tri-shock saddle, and a set of Kore Gas Pedals (death traps).

This bike survived a season of racing while I was at Clemson University and several seasons while riding with LSU Team Mountain Bike. As time wore on, parts began to fail. First to go was the seat. Next, the suspension bottomed out and taco'd the front wheel. I managed to replace the seat with a Bontrager branded Selle San Marco seat in 1999 (to this day feels like it need a few more years to “break in”) and that same year I acquired an XTR front hub laced to a Mavic ceramic rim to replace the taco'd wheel. The wheel is probably older than the bike but had been hanging on the wall of the LBS for so long that I got a great deal on it and I had a race the next day so I couldn't afford to be too picky. About a year later, the entire wheelset was replace with a set of Deore hubs laced to Mavic rims with titanium skewers.

Soon after, the stock RockShox Quadra 21R died. The increased sag left a feeling like I was hanging over the front wheel and made the bike incredibly twitchy on descents (even mild descents). At that point, the Bontrager was semi retired and I got a Specialized Stumpjumper M4 to replace it. Although my computer said I was faster by an average of 2 mph on our local trail, the Stumpy just never felt right. After about a season or two, I replaced the Stumpjumper frame with a K2 Razorback with a Nolean Air rear shock. This bike was a couch on wheels! Supper comfortable, responded well to steering input but it still suffered from two problems that I could never correct. First, the rear shock was constantly leaking air. I received a rebuild kit from K2 for free even though I bought the frame off Ebay and it most definitely did not come with a warrantee (thank you K2 for the wonderful customer service!). The rebuild kit made a dramatic improvement in the shock but never really solved the problem. Second, the lock-out switch would lock the rear (sometimes) but would never release it (ever). It was then that I realized it was time to sell the K2 and Specialized frames and rebuild the Bontrager.

The Bontrager presents some unique challenges to rebuilding as compared to other bikes from its period. The fork was blown and needed replacing. When the bontrager was built, it was one of the few bikes that kept a 1” steerer tube. The industry standard had already shifted to 1 1/8”, a standard that is more or less with us today. The option to replace the front fork was limited to either bargain basement forks which were likely to fail in short order, ultra expensive custom fork from White Brothers, or rigid. Since the theme for this build was going to be “budget friendly bombproof” I elected to go with a quality rigid fork. Bontrager, however, threw in an additional little problem with the fact that his bike used a custom crown to achieve a non-standard offset. After a lot of searching, and some waiting for the stock to be replenished, I was able to get my hands on a Kona Project 2 fork with an axle-crown length that would be nearly perfect for the original geometry of the Bontrager. The original fork was threaded and the new fork was threadless. This created the new problem of having to replace the headset and stem. I wanted to keep as many original parts as possible and I saw no need to replace the handlebars so I needed a stem that would fit the original 25.4mm bars instead of the current standard 31.8mm. A 100mm Soma stem was called in to replace the Bontrager Race stem. Since the Soma is designed to fit a 1-1/8” steerer tube, a shim was installed. Cane Creek was sourced to provide the headset, an S2.

The drive train had been through hell and back. A new drive train was in order to revitalize this beast. Shimano LX crankset with external bottom bracket and LX rear derailleur were installed as was an XT front derailleur. SRAM Rocket 9 speed shifters control the gears and a SRAM 9 speed cassette grabs the chain. The old cantilever brakes have found their way to the parts bin and Cane Creek Direct Curve levers and calipers now scrub off the speed. Shimano M520 SPD pedals long ago replaced the KORE deathtraps and allow for proper release when needed.

The grips are Ritchey TGV but on the last ride, I had one actually slip off while navigating some nasty downhill. Lock-on grips will be on order soon but I haven't yet decided on round or ergo, bar ends or not...

 The original Bontrager Comp seatpost remains but gone is the Bontrager Selle San Marco torture device. A Specialized Body Geometry Tomac saddle now provides a surprising degree of comfort for my hind bits. Specialized Team Ground Control and Team Dirt Control tires keep the bike firmly planted.

No, its not full suspension, a 29er, or carbon fiber. It is a reliable, lively, predictable steel bike. Would I like other bikes? Sure. Will I ever get ride of this? Never! Don't buy the hype, by the bike that makes you want to ride it.

I still haven't gotten around to weighing the bike yet but I am pleased to say that it tears up twisty singletrack! Now the only problem I have is that I am feeling the effects of taking several years off of the trails. Unfortunately, there is a distinct possibility that this bike may soon be equipped with a set of slicks and be relegated to cruising the city streets. I am still on the fence about whether to repaint or not. As it is, there is no rust on the bike but it does have several spots that are paint-bare. As always, I am open to suggestions and I would love to hear your opinion on what you would do and what modifications you would make.

Future Plans:

26x2.3 Front and 26x2.1 Rear Tires (more volume to take the edge off the rigid build)

Lock-On Grips

Paint/Powder Coat?

Current Build--
Frame: Bontrager Privateer
Fork: Kona P2
Headset: Cane Creek S2
Stem: Soma
Handlebar: Bontrager Race
Shifters: SRAM Rocket 9 speed
Brake Levers: Cane Creek Direct Curve
Brakes: Cane Creek Direct Curve
Front Derailleur: Shimano XT
Rear Derailleur: Shimano LX
Crankset/Bottom Bracket: Shimano LX
Cassette: SRAM Powerglide 9 speed
Chain: SRAM Powerglide 9 speed
Seatpost: Bontrager Comp
Saddle: Specialized Body Geometry Tomac
Grips: Ritchey TGV
Wheelset: Shimano Deore
Tires F/R: Specialized Team Dirt Control/Specialized Team Ground Control

This is one of the bikes I will never get rid of no matter what. What bike do you have an irrational attachment to?