700 x 23 has always been the Mexican Standard.  Recently I pulled two Vittoria Open Corsa Evo CX, 320tpi, tires {my favorites} off the shelf without looking at the profile; turned out they were 25s.

Sunday I took a ride that meandered the mean streets in the City of Angels (L.A.) and as I was rolling along talking with another rider I didn’t notice the mondo xtreme killer-pot-hole ! Watch Out Fool!   Ohhhhh Shit! The impact was so jolting it felt like I had broken both wrists(!) and as I was expecting the wheels to go all collapsed-out and both tires to blow flat I just kept rolling without an incident.  Gotta jack it all to the 25s.

Facts are in: 25s roll smoother and have better resistance to compression punctures (pot-hole-flats).  Studies show 25s have a lower CRR (Coefficient of Rolling Resistance); read this study http://www.rouesartisanales.com/article-1503651.html {the study takes a good scientific approach to analyzing the difference between narrow and wide tires; 23c vs. 25c}

NOTE: If your clearances are tight, 25s might not fit your bike.

Veinticincos AniMaux!

Call of the Wild.

It was my maiden voyage to the weekly 10:00pm Wolfpack Hustle Monday Night Ride; I showed up with my single speed {silly me}.  Fabian (the uberwolf man-child) informed me later at the mid-point rest stop “We all use to show up on fix gears in cut-offs, no helmets,  …  We’ve grown up now.”   He’s telling me this all jacked out in full lycra, riding a carbon geared road bike, focused on making everyone suffer; no mercy.

About 20 riders joined in the pace {single speeds, fixed gears & geared road bikes}; we savaged Sunset Blvd east from Fountain like an urban Iditarod, through the traffic of the city’s night life, past the familiar barrios; Hyperion, Micheltorena, Silverlake, Rampart, Echo Park, Dodger Stadium and North Figueroa, where Sunset becomes Cesar Chavez, then slanted into Chinatown where we headed north.  These guys take to the streets like a wild pack of  semi-tamed Wolf Messengers; the whole road is up for grabs.  FYI: Fabian was in the Wolfpack Hustle Delegation that beat Jet-Blue in the race from Burbank to Long Beach last year; Carmageddon: Bicycle vs. Jet.

This was the hood of my adolescence; I grew up on these sections of Sunset Blvd and to me it had always been flat; until you’re on a single speed trying to hold the wheel of an uberwolf man-cub riding a geared carbon road bike flashing its menacing fangs.  We turned left on Broadway through Chinatown and waited on the bridge that crosses the L.A. River for everyone to regroup.

Before Broadway ends at Huntington Drive you’ve got to crest a quarter mile grade.  We’re climbing the little hill, all the pack fodder coming unglued and I could sense the man-boys who were leading the effort up the ascent, on geared bikes, suffering just a little as they’re showing some strain to keep the pace lit-up.  “No f#$*’n way; you little dick-wads aren’t dropping the old man up this mole hill.”   I went around the first man-cub coming off the pull and grabbed the wheel of the second wolf-pup; I wasn’t going to attack him, I just wanted him to see I still had claws and I wasn’t about to let myself get wolf-punked {yet}.  We crested the top of the grade together and then the little pricks attacked me on the descent.  I didn’t know the terrain, but I was familiar with the tactics.  That little antic over the grade cut me open just a little and I’m certain they could smell the blood.

They were doing 60 miles; Huntington Drive east all the way to Monrovia.  Charlie Gandi came along for the ride and had had his fill by the time we reached Altadena where the Pack regrouped for provisions at Circle-K.  RoadBlock was ready to head home too.  The Pack continued on to Monrovia.  We turned back and covered 36 miles by the time we returned to the start; Sunset & Fountain.  Last Monday the group rode north through Glendale and Flintridge-La Canada to the summit of Mt. Wilson (60 miles / 10:00pm).

It’s a great group of riders and a exhilarating sense of excitement riding the streets of L.A. after dark; at speed.  These guys are well mannered and well attuned to keeping it safe and respectable.

Ahh-wooooooo AnimaUX!

Poltergeist Puncturist! Garage Flats.  It’s 1:30 in the frick’n morning and I needed to bloat in some hydration.  All bleary eyed and parched like the Sahara Desert, I wandered to the kitchen to finish off that double IPA {Firestone}.  Gulp. Gulp.  BOOM!  Hissssssssssss!! {You know the sound} I stumbled into the garage to n’vestigate the suspicion; front tire went all blown out; blewy.  The violation hole had been sittin just on top of the “O” in the rim tape; nothing dastardly there.  The tire and tube had about 650 miles on them.  It was inflated to 120psi that morning when I put it away.  Figures; it didn’t have one single patch.  Those “radial“ impressions near the puncture were probably jacked into the tube from the stem when it was factory folded; dunno, maybe it was the culprit of imperfection.  Luckily it wasn’t during mach-speed descent.

Poltergeist? Certain.

Es Muy Voodoo! AniMaUx!

Simplex Juy 543, circa 1955.

FYI: This derailleur recently sold on eBay $722.00.  Needless to say, prices for Simplex vintage derailleurs have jumped dramatically since.

Muy Viejo AniMaUx!

More of the Mash boys at Interbike two years back: 2010.  This is crazy GoNzO deLux!   It’s like Matador and Bull {shit} out on the streets.  Hope those boys got some health insurance.  There’s gonna be lots of stuff to look forward to at this September’s Interbike.  Think of the after parties!

oLÉ AnIMaux!

Bike shops get all sleepy, dreamy, and affectionate with the big names and their spooning relationships scoop out a gouge and mess with minds too weak to resist easy temptations.  It bends ideals and gets perspectives off track.  As a good friend who meets with me from time to time out on the lattice of coincidence recently said “… it’s all about maintaining the faith and respect for our esthetic creature” because after it’s all said and done, what d’ya got left when you’re swayed by the Song of the Monocoque Sirens singing simple one-size-fits-all esthetic ideals; Giant, Trek, Cannondale and Specialized and all their wannabe usurpers.

I also have friends who profess to using a bike as a tool; well designed, in the top 95 percentile for performance; just ride it!  But note; they’re not driving Toyota Camrys.

Baum Cycles: Australia

You B’Animaux!

Shop tools define the attitude.

At Long Beach Cyclery you’ll find a modified Campagnolo frame pump head on the end of the air compressor hose; now that’s bad ass.  Gian Simonetti himself fashioned up this concockery.  Simôn-Esé was the main personality (not to mention the “Hair Bandit”) behind Medici Bikes and started his own line of frames after its demise; Simonetti Bikes.  Gian likes to spend time in his favorite bike shop (Long Beach Cyclery) wrenching machines to maintain his deep connection with the community.  He speaks with an accent heavier than if he just stepped off the boat from Sicily and he’s been here for more than 40 years.  Gian and Tortuga (Long Beach Cyclery Proprietor) are great friends.  I’m honored to have ridden El Dorado Park on the wheel of Gian Simonetti and to have been cursed fervently for not pulling through to his likes.  That was many years ago.  The respect is deep.

Long Beach Cyclery
3756 Long Beach Blvd
(562) 427-9900

mUCho AnIMAux’z Tonto!

just like yo Red Cup, sometimes a ride is all about the possibilities . . .

have you noticed? the sport has a preoccupation with bottle openers.  i think there’s a reason; cyclists are grittier and more often off the grid than any other bunch i’ve encountered. something like the surf culture in attitude toward the status-quo.

querrías estar borracho Animaux! ándale pues. ¿eRes tU AniMau?x

Diamonte Pro: seam imperfection

Hard to be bad-ass when you’re worried about your tires.

Vittoria tires are apparently manufactured in Thailand now; all o’dem.  Story has it, VeloFlex bought all the equipment from Vittoria after they went looking for a good time in Asia and setup shop across the street.  VeloFlex boasts they make all their tires in Italy. Their website tag line: Handmade in Italy.  I dunno, the name VeloFlex lacks a certain Italian panache, niente bella figura.

Vittoria Open Corsa Evo CX (320 TPI) has always been a great tire.  The first time (uh-huh) I rode those tires it was a great sensation; a smooth, stable glide like you’re riding on a rail, however, the rubber is soft so it cuts and slices easily.  At $75.00 (MSRP) it gives you pause to consider other options.

Priced comparably, the Vittoria Diamonte Pro (~$62.00 MSRP – 220 TPI) also rolls exceptionally well but is more durable than the CX, however, a few recent tires showed an odd imperfection; after the tire had only a few hundred miles worn into it, but with ample life left in the tread, the rubber cracked open at the seam on the crown and exposed the threads underneath.  Found this on about 4 tires recently; one right after the other.

After the trouble with the Diamante Pro, I thought I’d try the Diamante Pro Radiale (220 TPI); a tire with minimum tread pattern, almost like a slick.  On slightly wet roads the tire felt as if it wanted to wash out when you barely nudged along the white line of the bike lane.  Eerie.  Even in dry conditions it felt unstable on painted lines. Never had that sensation with other tires.

Fî.doLLã.Animaux!

Memorial Day: a day to remember and to be thankful to all who have served and to all who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

In the midst of World War two, 1942, Picasso created this piece of art and turned it into a bronze sculpture that’s become a cultural icon.

During the War materials for sculpture were severely limited and Picasso worked with anything at hand, including pieces of wood, bones, wine–bottle caps, scraps of paper, cigarette packets and even a seat and handlebars.

GraCiAs y Recuerdo AnimauXz!