Jason Golod Blogs » Cycling

First Bike Ride With GPS

Jason — Wed, 24 Aug 2005 05:08:42 +0000

Original post from First Bike Ride With GPS.

Ok, I have to say, the GPS receiver is pretty awesome. It works right out of the box. It only needed to be charged for 2 hours before first use and when I plugged it into the computer after my ride today, everything worked the first time…rare. Anyway, one of the coolest parts of using the Garmin Forerunner 201 GPS receiver is that I can upload data to Motion Based so that I can compare rides, split times, see the ride on topographic maps, satellite maps, street maps and a whole lot more. Anyway, you can check out the ride I did today in the howling summer winds here in SF. I have to say, today was really windy here, which always makes for good times on the bike. Here is the link to my ride on Motion Based and I would recommend you install the Adobe SVG Viewer (they have a link to it) so that you can check out satellite maps and full motion maps of the ride. Pretty slick.

Garmin Forerunner 201 is Here

Jason — Tue, 23 Aug 2005 16:06:48 +0000

Original post from Garmin Forerunner 201 is Here.

Ahh, the Garmin Forerunner 201 is finally here. What is it? It is a GPS receiver that is made for runners and cyclists. It is pretty small and is about the width of two regular sized digital wristwatches. It ran me about $130 delivered with the handlebar mount, and when you see what it allows you to do, I am sure you will understand why I bought it. Basically, the GPS unit will allow me to record all of my rides and download them to my computer. Then using the new Garmin Training Center Software or better yet, the online Motion Based system, I can see the elevation change, mileage, speed, split speeds per mile, and compare it to previous rides to see how my fitness level is progressing. Actually, if you go to the Motion Based website right now, you can see the ride I normally do 3 times a week on the home page. You can get an idea of what kind of statistics a GPS receiver can give you.

The Garmin 201 will do all kinds of other stuff as well, and if I were still running (been a long time), I could wear it like a watch to see the same kind of data for my runs. At this point, they would be pretty sad. Anyway, I will try and post my ride info here today when I get back.

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Giordana Tenax Bib Shorts

Jason — Thu, 21 Jul 2005 04:45:19 +0000

Original post from Giordana Tenax Bib Shorts.

Following up on yesterday’s review of the Santini CX Bib Shorts, I rode my brand new Giordana Tenax Bib Shorts today for the first time. These are luxury bibs. The lycra fabric is soft and supple and similar to the feel of my Castelli Y bibs. The Stratus O.F. insert is made from a contoured foam that is thicker and a little more rigid than most pads you will find today. Putting on the Tenax bibs, I thought to myself that these are very nice cycling shorts.

I purchased a pair of XXL Tenax bibs and I am 6′-4″ with a 36″ waist. They fit very well, but I would not have minded an extra inch in height. All in all, they are very comfortable. Taking them out on a 30+ mile ride today I was quite happy with them. However, I have to admit, after riding the Santini CX’s yesterday, I was expecting the Stratus O.F. pad to fit in a similar way, but with a little more sponge. That was not the case. The Stratus O.F. pad felt a bit rigid the entire ride and while the fabric feels absolutely great everywhere else, the pad was a little disappointing to me…especially after spending $125 for a pair of these bad boys. Don’t get me wrong, I love these shorts. But, comparing them to the Santini’s, I would actually choose them if I had to choose between the two.

Since these just got the Editor’s Pick in Bicylcling magazine for best Top of the Line Bib Shorts, I am going to switch the order that I wear them next week and wear the Tenax bibs on Monday and the Santinis on Tuesday to see if that makes a difference. I will keep you posted.

Santini CX Bib Shorts – Reviewed

Jason — Tue, 19 Jul 2005 23:22:25 +0000

Original post from Santini CX Bib Shorts – Reviewed.

Today is the first day of my bib short review. I rode just over 40 miles today over into Marin and back around on the “Paradise Loop.” I decided to wear a pair of Santini CX Bib Shorts with the perforated anti-bacterial chamois (not the gel chamois some people sell). These are the pro shorts and I have to say that I was overly impressed with these shorts. I normally ride Castelli bibs and they are very, very comfortable and feel great even after a long ride. But, even wearing these for only a couple of minutes I realized they are really superior.

First of all, the Santini CX’s are form fitting (provided you get the right size…you will most likely need to go up one size from traditional Italian sizing). Once you put them on, they don’t move. I mean, they really don’t move. They are thin up top and you almost forget that you are wearing bibs. I am 6′-4″ with a 44″ chest and 36″ waist. I have the XXXL’s and they fit great. If you are my height, I would recommend the XXXL’s simply for the extra height they will give you. I have a pair of XXL’s and they can be a little restrictive at times.

Secondly, the chamois is money. At first I felt that the chamois on these shorts might leave a little to be desired as far as padding is concerned, but I was completely blown away. Really, the pad is great. It took its place and did not move a centimeter on the ride. Surprisingly, they seemed to have padding exactly where I needed it, and I don’t ride some cushy seat either.

These are really great shorts. And, at the price that you can find them on the web ($89 at the time of this writing) they are probably the best buy around. I don’t think you can go wrong picking up a pair of two of these shorts for $90.

Tomorrow, I will be taking out the new Giordana Tenax bib shorts so stay tuned.

UPDATE: July 21, 2005

I rode the CX’s again yesterday and I have to say that the thin, perforated pad on these is really second to none when it comes to comfort on the bike. I am not sure why it is that a thinner, less advanced pad is twice as comfortable, but it is. These shorts conform to your body once and they stay there for the rest of the ride. You can’t go wrong with the Santini CX bibs.

Giordana Tenax Bib Shorts

Giordana Tenax Bib Shorts

Jason — Tue, 19 Jul 2005 17:34:35 +0000

Original post from Giordana Tenax Bib Shorts.

Just took delivery of two pairs of Giordana Tenax Bib shorts. These are the top rated shorts behind the Assos top of the line bibs in the recent Bicycling magazine review of the best cycling accessories. I will be taking these things out for a spin today. The first thing I noticed about the Giordana Tenax shorts were the pad. It is quite thick and light. Not thick that would get in the way, but amazingly thick and cushioned for the weight and comfort that these shorts provide. I will be doing a write up on the top of the line shorts from Giordana, Castelli, Santini and Pearl Izumi (and Assos if someone sends me a pair) in the next week or two. I also have some new Santini CSX bibs that I have yet to ride. I forgot I had them downstairs.

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Continental Grand Prix 4 Season Tires

Jason — Fri, 17 Jun 2005 00:33:21 +0000

Original post from Continental Grand Prix 4 Season Tires.

I purchased a set of the Continental Grand Prix 4 Season tires as they were touted as the best wet weather cycling tire on the market. They are quite sticky and made from a soft rubber compound. The only drawback is that they wear pretty quickly. I went through the rear tire in less than 4 weeks of riding. I ended up puncturing two tubes in two days of riding before I realized that the tire had worn thin and was no longer suitable for riding. I still have the Grand Prix 4 Season on the front however and have put a Continental Gatorskin on the rear. The Gatorskins wear much better and are a great performing tire. If you are in the market for some new cycling tires or tubes, the best place I have found is at Bike Tires Direct. I have been buying my tubes and tires there for almost two years…they are great. They are also offering deals on 10 packs of Continental tires, but the savings is pretty small.

Velocity Spartacus PRO Wheelset – 2 Week Review

Jason — Tue, 31 May 2005 21:14:06 +0000

Original post from Velocity Spartacus PRO Wheelset – 2 Week Review.

After putting approximately 225 miles on the Spartacus PRO wheels, I am still in awe at how much I like them. They are still rolling true as the day they came out of the box. I have put them through some normal bumpy road riding and they have not complained one bit. The only thing that I have noticed is that the brakes fade a little more than they did with the Mavics that I had on the bike before. This may be due to the fact that the Velocity wheels are a bit narrower and I need to adjust the brake calipers a bit. But, besides that, the wheels are doing very well. And, I have been pretty good about getting out 4 days a week for the past two weeks. I will be riding up in Healdsburg and Sonoma this weekend, so there will be plenty more riding. Stay tuned.

Velocity Spartacus PRO Wheelset – 1 Week Review

Jason — Sun, 22 May 2005 06:08:09 +0000

Original post from Velocity Spartacus PRO Wheelset – 1 Week Review.

This week was the first week I was back on the LeMond. I rode 4 days this week (out of 6 days…there could be a small ride tomorrow to keep the legs loose). I have not been riding at all this year, which is a shame…but, I love food! So, I am tipping the scales at about 220-225 right now (up from 205-210 at my “fighting weight”). I had a pair of Mavic/Dura Ace Hub 32 spoke wheels that worked very well when I was lighter. But, as the weight went on, I was breaking a spoke on the rear once about every 150 miles. It was beginning to be a real pain. I found the Spartacus PRO Wheels online and they were said to be built for “the larger rider.” Perfect I thought. I am not ashamed, I just need some wheels that will stay together and true. So, for about $220 I had a pair built and delivered to my door. They arrived about 10 days later from Georgia. I put them together (you will need the extended Aero valve inner tubes FYI) and rode them for the first time last Monday.

First Impressions

I spun the wheels when they first arrived and noticed that the rear was a little out of true radially, the front was perfect. I did not notice any “hump” from the rear while riding, so maybe I am on crack. The wheels came packaged in a box built to ship wheels securely and were wrapped in celophane shrink wrap. Oh, you will also need some rim tape for the wheels when you assemble them. Me being the dork that I am, I had some handy.

The wheels ride and roll true. The hubs are very nice actually and the wheels came with skewers too. I still am not sure how these wheels are $220…but, anyway. I have put ~125 miles on the wheels this week and that includes some bumps, rainy riding and windy riding over the Golden Gate Bridge. The wheels still are as true as they were when I put them on. They appear to be a little more suseptable to wind than the old Mavic/Dura Ace wheels. Not sure why that is, but the wind the last two days has been blowing on the front wheel pretty hard, making for interesting times navigating the GGB.

Would I Recommend These Wheels?

At this point, I would have no problem recommending these wheels. But, I have only owned them for a week. But, the fit and finish on the wheels are great. They came ready to roll out of the box, minus the rim tape. I don’t think you are going to find a better set of wheels for the money.

I will be riding more, about the same number of miles for the next 3 weeks. So, I will be reporting back here in the coming days.

Spartacus PRO Wheelset Ride 1

Jason — Mon, 16 May 2005 21:01:52 +0000

Original post from Spartacus PRO Wheelset Ride 1.

Well, I mis-stated in another post about my new wheelset from Velocity. I purchased the Spartacus PRO wheelset which is a bit lighter than the standard Spartacus wheels. I took them out for a spin this morning for the first time after I put them together with some Continental Grand Prix tires and ultra-light tubes last night. The wheels are very nice. They are noticably lighter and more responsive. The tires are 23c, so that may be a reason why I feel like they are more responsive.

As I said before, the wheels are 20 spokes up front and 24 in the rear on Deep-V rims. There was some minor settling in the rear on the first few cranks, but after that they were whisper quiet. I really don’t know how these wheels sell for $200 a pair right now, and I even thought of picking up another pair to have as spares.

More important was that this was the first ride of my new training regimen. I wanted to start this a couple of weeks ago, but I busted a spoke and it has taken me this long to order, receive and mount the new wheels. I am going to keep it slow for a couple of weeks while I get some miles on my legs. I rode 22 miles today (chump mileage), and my legs were pretty sluggish on the way out of Marin. I will be tracking my progress after each ride here.

New Velocity Wheelset