bikingshearer 

My wife gets her first Covid vaccine shot tomorrow morning, I get my second one on Sunday, and I've made a reservation at one of Cambria's finer seedy motels. God willing and the creek don't rise, I will be there. The current plan is to ride this diamond in the rough. No, it will not have SPDs on it for Eroica, but it will have me on it.

Choke 

Here are a few non-Italians I saw at Eroica CA over the years...







It's a Tesch since it's hard to see

Soup_Please

It is *SO* heartening to me that we are back to discussing Eroica gearing and tire width for the climbs--harkens back to the before times. FWIW, in the three Eroicas I've completed I've used both period correct gearing, and compact gearing successfully (42/28 low and 32/28 low)--the hurt seemed much less with the low gearing, but the challenge of climbing with the gears I used to use in my 20s was well, interesting. I've used 28s and 30s for tires.

Loyd

Looks like I’ll be with you guys in spirit this year.

Wishing y’all a safe ride, clear skies and empty roads!

Soup_Please

Back in 2016, my riding partner was running that same Modolo Speedy combo with vintage pads. I could hear his brakes howling like a cat in heat all the way down Cypress and the look on his face said, "I can't stop."

Kabuki12

Hang in there! I too have had multiple surgeries due to my sun tanning when I was young. It is frustrating but I am told I will continue to have surgeries so I have resigned to it. The last two times they used staples on my stomach and back which made sleeping tough. Seventeen on my tummy and twenty- two on my back. Now I go in tomorrow for one on my face pretty close to my eye. I have never had it come back at the site where the cancer was removed , just new locations. I was off the bike 3 weeks so I am hoping for the best tomorrow.

davester

Riding Cypress with any type of brake with vintage pads (or vintage cable housings for that matter) is a death wish. Brake pads are a consumable, just like tires. I really don't understand why anyone would ride with hardened old pads.

merziac

Especially when they can also grind up a perfectly good rim, new, used, vintage, old or otherwise.

keithdunlop

Are there modern pads that provide better performance, like K-Swiss perhaps?

davester

Kool Stop pads are the go-to for many folks here. I've had good luck with them and they make a number of different pads that fit vintage as well as more modern brakes.

rccardr 

2016 Campagnolo Record calipers with Kool Stop pads and Record levers- heart in mouth.
2017 Mafac centerpulls with new pads and Shimano 6207 levers- major pucker factor.
2018 Dura Ace 7700 dual pivots with stock pads mated with Shimano R600 levers- definitely better braking performance.
2019 Tektro R539’s with Kool Stop pads mated with their R200 levers- finally felt like I was in control, especially on the back side of Cypress.
YMMV.

mech986 

Well, Sept. 12, 2021 is the date for this year. Assuming all goes well and the event can be held, its well worth the effort to arrange time off if possible. Even just coming in on the Saturday for the festival, any bike concours (not yet confirmed) and the general milleu of hordes of vintage bikes and their owners would be a fun time for a vintage bike person. And the California Central Coast is a wonderful place to visit, plenty to see and do assuming we're almost fully open, and places to just be and contemplate life too. Hope you will be able to make it in Sept. or possibly next April if Eroica gets back on track schedule wise.

Sorry to hear that Brad and Joe. Get a few extra miles in beforehand, hope you both have uneventful, full, and relatively short recoveries, and are back in the saddle soon. If ok, you can cross train with walking (shaded of course), core building, or watching Eroica videos to build up your mental stamina.


A beauty! Do you have a thread on it and the story behind it? Would that all of us come upon a barn find like that!

Congrats to you and your wife. My wife and I got our 2nd Moderna shots on Mar. 30, had some chills, fatigue, body aches from hour 14-50, then felt completely normal again. Small price to pay for that protection. My 64 year old brother just got his first Pfizer vaccination and did fine. Normally he'd be coming to Eroica but he and his wife are scheduled to see her Aunt/Uncle on the occasion of their 76th Wedding Anniversary in NJ!!! Now that's a vintage couple!! My handicapped daughter got her first Moderna and showed off the band-aid and flexed her symptom free arm to all her friends on Zoom school! She and wife plus 1-2 nurses will come with us to Eroica/Cambria. My Brother in law/Sister in law plus beagle will be joining us from Portland if all goes well.

California continues to make significant progress, as of yesterday, up to 21.5 million vaccine doses given, 34.3% of Californians have had at least 1 dose. 24.9% now fully vaccinated, over a 7 day average about 325K-350K doses per day have been administered. California cases and deaths have continued to trend downward. California now ranks tied for 46th at a low 7 cases/100K over a 7 day avg, the 14 day change is -2%. Still in upper third with 0.26 deaths/100K over 7 day average, no doubt a 2-3 week lagging indicator, but these rates are also trending down, the 14 day change is -41%. The state will open up vaccinations to all people above 16 years or older on April 15, 2021, and now has plans to fully reopen the economy (if trends continue) by June 15, so obviously a big push to get as many vaccinated in a 60 day period and keep the pressure on vaccination rates throughout the summer where it may tend to slow down. New Covid variants here and around the country are a concern and studies have started to see how well the currently emergency use authorized Pfizer, Moderna, J&J/Jannsen vaccines deal with them.

So California is moving in the right direction and hopefully will stay on that trend. That would bode well for being able to train more fully, ride with friends, and hopefully be able to have the Eroica event in part or full, with much less health impact on participants and the towns of Cambria, Cayucos, San Simeon, and Paso Robles.

keithdunlop

I have a very brief cameo in the 2019 after-ride video at minute 1:09. The interviewer asked me something in Italian that I didn't understand, so I talked about the weather! Had I understood the purpose for the video I might have had a more meaningful thought about the beauty of the event and the celebration of the culture.

repechage

Assuming the mutations are kept at bay, I should be protected, might still wear a mask, will try to make the swap meet.
I will have to ride something.

Have to leave early, still a 2hr 15min drive.

Slightspeed

I've got Kool-Stops on all my vintage bikes, mostly in modern Shimano type pad holders. They work fine on Weinmann and Universal centerpulls, and in Mafac Racers using standard molded in stud type pads. I use the wet/dry pink and black pads, because at Eroica, you never know about the weather.

mech986 

Another Eroica California 2019 video giving a bit more flavor of Cambria and some nice long ride scenes. Really miss those Olive Oil Fries and Cass Winery stops, only on the long route.

bikingshearer 

Thanks. The paint is pretty ratty, and the components I have put on it are a real hodge-podge, but it has come together quite nicely.

I've posted about it somewhere or other, but not in its own thread. This is my fourth Cinelli frame overall and the second one that is actually in my size. I won't go through the whole sordid tale of the journey to my first 64x61.5 cm (both ctc) mid-60s Speciale Corsa but will dig up the way-too-long thread about getting it if you'd like, (Cliff Notes version of the final act - I traded a 1986 De Rosa f/f for the Cinelli frame only - I already had a 1960 Cinelli fork I was able to use.) That one has been repainted and is running Campy 10sp triple. It's my favorite, the one I reach for pretty much automatically for most rides.

This blue one all but fell out of the sky. I was about to take off from my last stop on a ride before descending back to my house, when I heard someone yelling "Hey! Ron Cooper!" at me. (I was riding my - wait for it - Ron Cooper.) I went over and we chatted. One thing led to another and it turned out that I had a 1972ish Cinelli that was small for me but the perfect size for him and he had a mid-60s Cinelli that was too big for him but perfect for me. It also turned out that we live about three blocks away from each other. So we swapped. In money terms, he got the better of the deal as the paint on they one I had was in significantly better shape than the paint on the one he had, but I was okay with it. So now I have one big mid-60s Cinelli dressed up in Campy 10sp triple goodness and a second big mid-60s Cinelli that is Eroica-compliant (and Cino compliant) with Campy, Shimano, Huret, Suntour, Nitto, Velo Orange and Universal all represented on it. Oh, it also has a Red Clover triplizer on it. It's nothing if not eclectic.

A few years ago, I had pretty much given up hope of having a Cinelli that actually fit me. Now I have two. Sometimes, the universe provides . . . . I'd chalk it up to clean living, but that would be a lie.

rogerm3d

Excited for my first time doing the ride, planing on suffering with my Dayton Roadmaster. Just finished a replacement of the shift key on the hub and swapped back from aero cable configuration (I prefer stopping to looking cool)


early last year training for Eroica 2020

tgot 

Hi, I don't want to double post the same content, but if there are SF Peninsula residents I'd appreciate feedback, question here:
https://www.bikeforums.net/northern-...l#post22020944

Thanks!

gaucho777 

Which route are you considering for Eroica CA? I've only ridden the old "medium" route when the start was in Paso Robles. It's a little different from what's now offered with the Cambria start. It included the Kiler Canyon climb, but not the trip down to the ocean and back up Cypress Mountain. It doesn't get mentioned as much, but there was also a tough, short climb that follows Kiler Canyon, which I believe is still included in the current route. I have ridden both Old La Honda and Tunitas, which you mention in the other thread. The big thing to keep in mind is that you'll be on dirt for the toughest Eroica CA climbs, so traction when out of the saddle becomes a factor. Kiler Canyon is steeper than OLH but not as long. The are a few steep sections in the middle of Kiler Canyon, but the most challenging bit is just the last 1/4 mile (~400 meters). It's probably at least as steep as the steepest part of Tunitas, but not nearly as long and again unpaved, plus sometimes rutted if it's rained recently.

I've been wondering about Cypress Mountain myself. For those who have done the longer route, are you more likely to need to walk on Kiler Canyon or Cypress Mountain? I made it up Kiler Canyon without walking back in 2018 using 36 x 25 gearing, but I was in better shape back then and would probably need to walk if I did that tomorrow. I've never had to walk up OLH using 39x26 gearing, though Tunitas Creek at the end of a long ride has broken me a couple times.

There are a some good Eroica write-ups that may be helpful. Scott Calhoun does a good job of describing the Cypress climbs on his Beautiful Bicycle blog:
The Beautiful Bicycle - Adventures in the World of Vintage Cycling
2016 Eroica California, Part Two: Cypress Mountains and French Connections ? The Beautiful Bicycle
2018 Eroica California Ride Report ? The Beautiful Bicycle

tgot 

I was thinking of either the 72 or 81 mile routes. 107 is clearly too much for me, and the 36 feels as if it would be too short.

I'm glad walking is normalized. But choosing poorly relative to training and walking a 3-mile stretch would be no fun. A 1/4 mile walk would be far from the end of the world.

Thanks for the feedback and for the links. Fun blog!

gugie 

39x26 up Old LaHonda? That's hardman territory.

At the 2019 Eroica California ride I almost made it up Kiler without pushing, but for some reason the county decided to run their grader up the road the night before, which filled in some ruts with soft soil. I got stuck in some and had to push until there was some solid ground to ride on. Cypress starts steep, gets steeper, then ludicrously steep right near the top, and for most it's impossible to stand on the really steep sections without spinning out on your rear wheel.

Bottom line, I think I can get up Kiler without walking, since it comes first and I'll be fresher, and it's much shorter. Cypress? Oof.

I'm hoping Tourica will get me in good form for those two climbs. My goal is no walking this year.

Pavone

Oh stop it all of you, you’re making me jealous! I flew from the UK to ride Eroica California as a 60th birthday treat to myself in 2018 and loved every second of it. I’d go back in a flash if I could! I managed to ride all the way up Kiler Canyon but had to walk up Cypress Mountain (and nearly tumbled down the other side!). I was on 25C tyres and a lowest gear of 42x28 - I would definitely go wider and lower next time. Good luck to all of you riders this year, it’ll be awesome! My only consolation is that I’m closer to Eroica Britannia, Limburg, Montalcino, etc. than most of you lot . . . nah nah!

Caliwild

Yeah, I did the short route and it was way too tame (and sorta lame too since it just went up and down the coast). The short route was better when it was in Cambria... more miles and actually riding on "white roads." I too miss the previously mentioned Olea Olive Oil Ranch we used to stop at... If I can make it up this year, I'll sign up for one of the longer routes as well.

davester

Hey Randy,

I've made it up Cypress without walking every time, but ONLY because I was running a triple with 30 front, 28 rear. Even with that setup it was pretty dicey at times when spinning out in soft spots. I'd say that Cypress is quite a bit harder than Kiler Canyon. The few times I got stopped by spinning out I ended up turning around and coasting back down until I found a wide spot where I could pull off a slow U-turn to restart the ascent. With any higher gearing I would almost certainly be walking like 80+% of the folks on the final steep pitches.