"The knowledge in
this eBook is priceless. There is no other word to describe the
quality and quantity of information that has been gathered."
--Don Walker, president, NAHBS
"The eBook is probably the best single, one-hour
discussion of what goes into making a good long distance bike."
--Kent
Peterson, American Randonneur,
August 2007
"Just about any techno-biker out there will find this
eBook to be a real treasure trove of information."
--Adventure Cyclist,
July/August 2007
"If I were new to longer riding, curious about the
sport of randonneuring, or . . . the philosophy of long distance bike
design and usage, this is one place I'd want to start."
--Gino
Zahnd, writer and long distance cyclist
"There's lots of good advice here.
Most of the discussion is related to event bikes, RAAM, brevets, but it
also applies to light touring . . . . well worth reading for anyone
contemplating a new bike."
--Chris Kulczycki of the
Velo Orange Blog
Cyclists who enjoy riding long distances
will tell you they need a bicycle that is
comfortable, durable and fast. But few can translate their needs into
specifics about the frame design, materials, components, wheels and tires
required to make it all come together. The result: Most riders are working
harder and feeling more discomfort (even pain) than necessary.
What are the essential elements of the long distance bicycle? And, how does
this type of bike differ from those designed for racing or touring?
To find answers, distance cyclist
David Rowe
hosted a panel discussion with four leading experts at the 2007 North
American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) in San Jose, California. Sharing their
wisdom were randonneur and ultracyclist Terry Zmrhal; Shimano's top
mechanical technician, Matt Eames; Independent Fabrications president
Matt Bracken; and frame designer/builder Steve Rex of Rex
Cycles.
Their discussion took place before a live audience. The edited transcript
forms the foundation of this eBook, giving roadies an insider's view of the
most vital aspects of the long distance bicycle, including the trade-offs
among weight, durability, serviceability and speed.
In this excerpt, the panel discusses frame materials and why some
are better than others for certain types of long-distance cycling.
EXCERPT:
Frame Material Matters
David Rowe:
I want to conclude this part of the conversation with a question on frame
materials. We don’t see a lot of carbon fiber on the long distance
unsupported rides. But we see quite a bit of it in club centuries. Why
would a rider choose one material over another for long distance cycling?
Matt Bracken:
There is no bad material, just bad use of a material. So when you talk about
comfort. People that ride long distances want to be comfortable. When you
look at titanium and steel, they are naturally a springy material so they
are nice over a long distance. For five years we have talked about black
magic carbon and its damping properties. It’s great. But when you look at
these custom fit bikes, made by small builders, like all these men and women
here in these halls, we have a greater opportunity to fine tune how the bike
will react to your body weight and the load. There is a great advantage in
getting a bicycle made by a custom builder using steel versus a mass
production carbon frame, made in bladder or glued together in two-part
epoxy.
Steve Rex:
Both Independent Fabrications and Rex Cycles
make metal-carbon combos. It is a durable way to make bikes, but carbon is
not as forgiving as steel in the case of crashes and so forth. Let’s say you
have a carbon top tube, you’ve got a little bit of load on your bike, and
you lean it up against something while you are taking a break. It falls over
and that carbon tube gets a big schnackle in it, and that schnackle turns
into a crack. You’re not going to fix it on that ride. In fact, you may not
want to get back on it. But if you’re riding a steel bike, and you get a
dent in the top tube, you’re just going to ride on and not worry about it.
So carbon is very cool; it makes some very nice bikes, but it is more prone
to sudden failure.
David Rowe:
You’re talking about the speed of the materials’ failure rates. Steel fails
slowly. Carbon can fail very rapidly.
Matt Bracken:
That is true for most metal bikes, whether it’s aluminum, steel or Ti, you
can actually see a crack develop. When people have a traumatic impact on
carbon, you should ping the frame material with a coin. You can actually
hear the resonance in the damaged area change, which would indicate that it
has been impacted to a degree that it is not usable. That said, teams, like
T-Mobile that race on carbon, have done incredible repairs and race these
frames to the end of the season, winning races on bikes that are supposedly
not safe. It is a question of keeping an eye on your equipment, taking care
of it, and being comfortable with it psychologically, so that you can be
happy in the saddle.
