Originally Posted by
Kabuki12
Well I am a bit nervous about my second round , I will know in about five hours. I’m not expecting any side effects. My daughter got pretty ill for about 24 hours. As I age I think too much about such things and it really serves no purpose. I guess I will just go to my shop and work, it always gets my mind out of the trap!
Hopefully you'll be fine, I have talked to 5 people who have had their 2nd shots and aside from a bit of soreness, they were otherwise ok. My first Moderna shot had a maximum of 3/10 soreness and that was it. We'll see how the second one goes on the 30th. My 88 year old mom is not worried about her 2nd shot coming on the 29th.
Originally Posted by
Brad L
My 2020 registration should have rolled over as well, but I'm also waiting to see what happens. I've been getting in decent mileage but will need to ramp up the distance if I intend to go. I'll also need to add LOTS of hills as it's very flat when riding from home. I've had both vaccinations and hopefully the Covid levels have dropped significantly by Sept. I just need to stay relatively healthy. I have yet another type of skin cancer on my scalp and I'm unsure of the extent they'll go to to remove it. The last surgery left a 15cm scar and kept me off the bike for more than 2 weeks.
This will be my first Eroica event so I have a few questions:
1. Seeing the very nice bikes others will be taking, are these ridden on the longer routes with the potential to be covered in mud?
2. If so, do they get a complete rebuild afterwards?
3. Which tires perform the best in terms of durability?
Thanks in advance.
Sorry to hear about the skin cancer and is location. However they do it, I hope they get it all, whatever time you miss will be worth it. There's always setting up a trainer temporarily. As for the ride, see my response after rccardr.
Originally Posted by
rccardr
1: Lots of very nice bikes on all routes. Some folks bring multiple bikes for the show beforehand and only ride one. Yes, they may be covered in mud, hit by gravel on the road, certainly dusty if nothing else.
2: Potentially, but generally speaking a good wipe down is all that is required.
3: There are as many answers to this as there are riders, but in the past I have ridden Vittoria Rubino 28mm, Pasela 32mm, Rene Herse 44mm (650B) and Panaracer Gravel King (the slick kind) 32mm. In September I'll likely ride the 32's again on the Davidson.
Larger questions are gearing and brakes. The medium and long routes have steep hills with loose gravel in places. Unless you have the leg strength of Bartali or intend to walk, install the lowest gearing that will fit. For me, that's a 48/36/24 triple with a 12-34 cassette out back. Those steep hills have really steep back sides, so make sure your brakes are up to snuff. Everyone has their own opinion on this, but personally, I don't think you can have brakes that are too strong and well modulated for this event. First two years I used Campagnolo Record brakes with Kool Stop pads, and then centerpull Mafacs with new pads...and both years I felt the brakes were inadequate on the downhills. Third and fourth years went to dual pivot brakes (Shimano, then long reach Tektro) and felt much more in control. But that's just me.
Agree. Even though most bikes are very clean and some are concours, most get ridden except for the multiple show bikes some will bring. Most of us have some patina and the ride adds to it. My first short ride in Paso Robles I completed with some mud, a walk on the two toughest hills, and a bit of road dust. But the worst was right after I finished the post race sandwich meal, I picked up my bike from the monitored bike corral only to fall over in front of a small group trying to strap back in! Oh the indignity! Just a few more scrapes off the paint showing the chrome underneath on my Italvega.
But if there is rain or the course is moist, yes, there can be mud and debris. Depending on your level of OCD, a wipe down or light hose down may be all that's needed. If you fear any water ingress, then a good maintenance will be in order. If you've ridden multi-hundreds or a thousand training miles and culminate in a longer route Eroica California finish, consider treating your cycling partner to the same post race clean up / meal that you took part in. That way, you'll be confident that your training for the next Eroica will start fresh. Its up to you but I certainly double checked the derailleur pulleys, chain (because they are cheap to replace), wheel bearings, Pedals, and bottom bracket, especially if its drilled or relieved.
As for tires, I run clinchers and have been using Mavic MA-3 rims on Campagnolo low flange hubs with Compass / now Rene Herse 700C x 35mm Bon Jon Pass Extralight casing tires, they are made by Panaracer to Herse specification. I'm 210 pounds (trying like hell to get below 200 again for the 4th year in a row) so my brother in law suggested wider tires which can give more cushion and durability. It may sound weird to narrow tire riding, but I run about 55F/60R during winter and down to 45F/52R during summer months. Tires do have good clearance on my Italvega Super Speciale frame but wheels are not easy to take out of Campy brakes even with adjusters fully open so frame / fork / stay and brake clearance is important and you should practice how you take off a wheel if needed. I carry brake nut wrenches just in case I have to take off one brake shoe to make it super easy. That's with mostly new pads though, worn pads may give more clearance. I like the Herse tires and would suggest using the widest tire you feel will clear your fork (but remember to bring something to clear out a muddy fork if needed) and your frame (may need to back off the dropout adjusters or take them out entirely) unless you are very svelte and light and would run say 28's or 32's. On my later 2nd generation Super Speciale / Superlight frames, the fork is different an only allows for a 32mm Stampede Pass tire.
Please note that the wider tires also are a a little heavier and a bit taller so standover and toe overlap is affected. Also, your gearing is also adversely affected (overall larger radius/diameter so effective gearing is higher in every cog) so there is that partial trade off to consider. But when I showed up with those tires, most said "wow, those look big". And after a couple of seconds "Man, that looks like a good set up for Eroica!". I'd find tires you just would feel comfortable on gravel and rutted dirt roads. Personally, although I like 25mm tires, the extra width, air volume, and comfort are IMO good trade offs for this type of ride. I now train on them year round. Plenty of size choices in Herse tires and regular and extralight casings. They are not inexpensive but I splurge for the Extralights because they are comfortable, I can ride over small bumps and road irregularities like I had short suspension while narrow tires are jarring and rock hard at 100+psi. And they seem to roll just as fast otherwise. At my age, why not? In fact, if anyone buys Herse tires and doesn't like them, I'd buy them used just to have as spares assuming they fit my bikes. I've gotten at least 1500 miles out of them properly cared for and rotated F/R, only 1 flat in 3 years but I'm riding mostly pavement, no flats at 3 Eroica events. If you do a lot of climbing, expect the rears to show wear depending on your condition. I do recommend using tubes and a good sealant just in case.
https://www.renehersecycles.com/how-...e-herse-tires/
https://www.renehersecycles.com/rene...-right-for-me/
https://www.renehersecycles.com/prod...ts/tires/700c/ No affiliation, but a very satisfied customer.
I also concur with the gearing recommendations. Unless you're a strong climber, most of us, uh, vintage riders, will need some gearing accommodations. I use a Campagnolo Record crankset drilled for a 74mm BCD triple gear and run 52-42-28 with a Suntour 14-30 freewheel.with Campagnolo Nuovo Record derailleur modified with SOMA Rally long cages and Bullseye type pulleys. I could potentially use a 32 or 34 rear cog but I strongly recommend playing with dropout adjustment, chain length and chain type to figure out if this shifts ok for you. Otherwise consider any Suntour or other brand proven slant parallelogram long cage rear derailleur with large cog capability. Some feel a front inner cog of 26 or smaller is asking for chain suck problems on a vintage Campagnolo Record crankset. Front derailleur options for triple can be limited due to Campagnolo Record limited front shift throw. YMMV, other triple setups may work as well or better.
There is no shame in having gearing that will allow you/us to keep spinning and riding up the climbs in your/our current physical age and condition.
Originally Posted by
malcala622
I don't see myself doing Eroica during/after covid. My wife prefers the Rosarito to Ensenada ride. We get free lodging a mile away from the start and it's a great weekend vacation.
If the Eroica event happens please stay safe everyone and have fun riding.
Hope you are able to join us someday. There are some relatively inexpensive lodgings and accommodations in Cambria, San Simeon, Paso Robles (30 min drive), even San Luis Obispo (37 min. drive.) plus some camping accommodations. But I do understand the costs and time commitment involved. Remember there is also a great vintage concours as well as the Nova Eroica for modern bikes on Saturday.
https://eroica.cc/en/nova-california