Kabuki12

yup!! Experienced if first hand and enjoyed seeing those guys flex. I had a great day and met some nice folks. Kevin M. even came to my campground to pick me and my bike up to get to the event, then returned me to my motor home after a nice visit to see his collection. Good people and a terrific day.

FML123

Welp, I just got a little reminder of my first ride with toe clips as a 14-yr-old in 1979…The wife and I had a few drinks at a local bar, and decided to go on a short little bike ride on the nearby path in the dark. I slowed down trying to stay out of the beach sand and on the paved path, and straight tipped over on my side. 😆. A skinned knee and a slammed shoulder, but mostly just a laugh and fright at damaging the pedals and bar tape.

Also, if I can’t find a pair of wool shorts for a reasonable price, I’m going to ride the way most of us rode in the ‘70-‘80s: tighty-whities and short-short denim cutoffs. 😆

Andy_K 

Now that's heroic!

Classtime 

I don't recall any goat heads and the paved roads are very clean. If your doing a long route with the gravel, sidewall damage is possible. (Which reminds me to get another pair of boots for this go with clinchers.) in the past, I carried two spare Sprinter Gatorskins but never used one. One or more of the rest stops had spares for sale.

gugie 

No goat heads, paved roads are pretty clean on this ride.

As @Classtime noted, your biggest tire risk is gravel. The Santa Rita climb is pretty clean, but the downhill side will probably have some washboard and pot holes that you might pinch flat on. Kiler is pretty much a dirt road, I don't recall any real gravel. Cypress is definitely the most gravelly, the worst sections on the climb correspond to the most people using their two foot gear. The downhills section off of Cypress is definitely a sphincter pucker upper. You can easily pinch flat there. Some lower air pressure for the climb for better traction, and pump it back up at the top to protect against pinch flats. Might be overthinking this here, but that's what I've seen done, and it makes sense.

mech986 

martl, I appreciate your wanting to stay fully vintage. But Eroica is for all kinds of riders, be they former racers or recreational riders who want to try a challenge. We ride the roads that would be challenging to the "heroes", and they are even more challenging to most of us as we have aged, gotten heavier (some of us), or as we realize we were NEVER really strong riders. So riding on equipment that allows us to "reasonably" tackle a challenging ride is the reason Eroica actually allows gearing changes:
From Eroica California regulations:
https://eroica.cc/en/california/regulation
"h) the change of the gear ratios is allowed due to the difficulty of the ride;

As for "wool", emphasis mine.
"6.2 – ClothingParticipants must be dressed in period or period looking cycling clothing, in particular we encourage to wear wool jerseys and shorts. Reissued wool or non-wool vintage-looking jerseys and shorts are allowed as long as they look proper. Technical underwear is allowed as long as it is not visible. The event organizers reserve the right to give warnings to any participant whose clothing is viewed unsuitable or inappropriate for the event. If such clothing is discovered on the day of the ride the event organizers reserve the right to deny admission to or remove any person wearing attire that is considered inappropriate.

In 2018 Eroica California had blue and white Eroica California jerseys made by Santini out of polyester and those were sold and encouraged to wear.


2018 Eroica California Jersey by Santini, modern materials




The 2019 Eroica California Jerseys were limited edition black merino wool by Santini also encouraged for wearing.

Current L'Eroica jerseys made by Santini are:"Fully printed jersey in modern wool (Merino wool and Polyamide). Long covered zipper. Triple back pocket. Internal label Eroica APPROVED that allows use during the races Eroica in the world."





However, there was plenty of people, myself included, who wore more modern materials like spandex padded shorts, modern gloves, and polyester-cotton warmers, plus modern wide last shoes without cleats but still with toe-clips (ever try to find a vintage looking Detto Pietro type shoe with a size 46 extra wide fit?), and of course, a modern helmet and rear taillight. Eroica California officials did not make a big deal about this and inspections were "relaxed" or minimal. Part of this was, IMO, because of wanting to be much more inclusive of as many people and participants as possible. The primary idea is to challenge oneself on the ride, and do so with safety and care. Adherence to the rules is up to the rider and their ability/decisions. The rules as stated by Eroica give a lot of leeway and freedom to make riding safe and reasonably enjoyable within the suffering you wish to take on.

Let's take a quick look at L'Eroica Gaiole's regulations:
https://eroica.cc/en/gaiole/regulation-eroica-gaiole

Regarding gearing:
6.1.a – Heroic bikes or vintage bikes
d) Older bicycles with gears must have the original gears; (I think this applies to pre-1950, but see below)
f) Both tubular tyres and clinchers with inner tubes are allowed; (heavens, didn't we all ride on nothing but silk or cotton skinny tubulars back in the day???)
h) Change of the gear ratios is allowed; (Wow, even in Gaiole, Italy, the original event, they ALLOW changing gear ratios).

Its a true recognition that not all of us are 15-30 anymore, quite a few of us were really never great hill climbers EVER, and if they want us to have a decent time AND come back, then letting us tackle the tough climbs with whatever gearing allows us to do that seems the reason for this regulation. You may not believe this, but chugging up a 10-12% climb on Cypress Mountain with a 28F/30R at less than 4mph and being unable to continue with 3 miles to go to the summit was as much as I could do in 2019 after putting on 50+ miles into my legs. I had to stop, dismount, and walk (with flies following me) most of the last 3 miles because I couldn't spin any more. I damn well wasn't going to make it up on a 42-28 like I used to ride as a teen. So at 64 y/o back then and probably not conditioned enough for climbing, I slogged my way to the top, meeting a number of friends who managed to get up riding or walking. There was no shame in walking either, we all knew how hard that was for the majority of us.

If you can ride the hills with old corncob or race gearing, more power to you. Some of us can't or need some real help via gearing changes. So I decided discretion was the better part of valor and switched over to a wider range freewheel with 14-18-22-28-34 gearing set with a 28-42-53 drilled Campagnolo NR triple. After missing out on 2020 and part of 2021, my climbing is somewhat better, and hopefully, I won't need the bailout granny of 28x34 but its there if I need it. If I can climb with 28x28, a touch higher than my previous 28x30, then I've made some progress despite being 3 years older. However, I'm not kidding myself, the effort to climb like that at 4-7mph has my heart rate exceeding 160-168 bpm, without chest pain. That's a pretty maximal effort for anyone so health and safety concerns are very important. Eroica and participants want and state this is to be a "SAFE" ride, and no one wants to have a medical incident while doing it.

As for clothing, Gaiole also says this:6.2 – Clothing
Participants must wear vintage or vintage-style cycling gear, such as wool jerseys and shorts and avoid wearing modern technical gear in a visible way. Modern lycra jerseys and shorts are not permitted.

6.3 – Accessories
With regard to the vintage spirit of the event, participants are invited to carefully select all their accessories, from shoes to caps and water bottles etc. The only modern cycling accessory allowed is a safety-cycling helmet, which we encourage everybody to use.

That's great, and if they inspect and toss people (no mention of inspection anywhere on the page so part of it is on the honor system), then participants will try to adhere as much as possible to the above. I think you'll find that the vast majority of Eroica California participants will look the part, if not always using wool or wool look materials.

As for the Mille Miglia, even my 1970 Porsche 914-6 is not going to do the lap on period correct tires but rather modern rubber in a similar size, plus I would have a modern race helmet and up to snuff seat belt system. I'd use the stock 2 liter motor but I'd really love a shot at using a 2.2 liter S motor, or even the 2.5 liter short stroke that some 914-6 GT's used. Since I don't have flares I don't get to use wider wheels and tires but the 914-6 GT's that raced at Le Mans, Marathon D'Route, and US SCCA/IMSA had all kinds of modifications then and now according to the rules of the era. Even then, as an amateur driver, I'm not there to drive at 7/10's or above, that's only for true seasoned and experienced race or rally drivers. My job would be to enjoy the experience safely, not wreck the car of the course or spectators, and be ready to have fun, not challenge the lap record. And yeah, maybe I'd scare up a vintage looking nomex driving suit. Or not.
I'm the not-so-strong rider with the triple and 35mm tires, partly because I'm 200+ pounds (working on it for years) and the bike and I are probably 245+. When I came back to vintage riding in 2015 after a 30 year layoff (stupid), I rode some 25mm clinchers at 110 PSI. It was awful and brutal. Felt kinda fast, but really stressful. Ben Ngan suggested I switch over to Compass Extralight clinchers sized for my weight and for the tough nature of the Eroica roads. Despite the gearing penalty, the 35mm tires feel a hell of a lot better, still roll just fine, and allow me not worry about pinch flats and concentrate on riding well. At 50F/55R PSI, it works fine for gravel and dirt, and I'm reasonably fast on pavement. And yeah, maximum effort to get up Cypress is what this will take, plus gearing. Not getting any younger. At some point I'll switch to 32mm wide tires that would fit on some of my tighter clearance frames and see how that works.

Dude!! Don't do it!! Although we all rode that way at some point, we'd also need some type of necklace, reflective sunglasses, and Converse or Addidas shoes, choice of smokes optional. Nobody want to see my present body in stuff like that, LOL!

did you ever find any locally or decide on the Rally long cages? SOMA itself hasn't/doesn't have stock as of today. An Ebay Seller I've bought from before, simply deluxe, does have them for a price.
Anodized:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/38173106439...MAAMXQlUNRORr3


Polished:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/26424059748...AAAOSw24hci~H2

Hope this helps.

FML123

Ok, ok, I won’t wear cutoff jeans. 😆. I did find some wool shorts: I just hope I’m not to fat for them, like the two wool jerseys I bought. One was just shows my beer gut a little, so y’all will have to see that 🤷🏻‍♂️ and the other is marked XL, but is more like S, so I won't subject anyone to that.

I was finally able to buy the Rally long cage from Soma, and also a SunTour 34T freewheel, but now think I can ride the short course using the stock 42F-24R low gear. Will try doing it on the smart trainer to confirm.

merziac

@mech986

Nice work Bart, great deep dive, knew all this in theory, didn't really care one way or the other of course.

Not sure why it had to become such a thing.

Tx

Kabuki12

I’m really ready for this ride. Of course, not wanting anything other than a nice ride and some social time, I am doing the short route with maybe some other variation or extension. I will be staying in San Simeon so riding back and forth to Cambria is a nice addition to the weekend. I was up there not long ago and was reminded of the last hill as I powered up on my Medici with 42/28 ratio , breaking a sweat on a cool , overcast day. I can’t imagine doing it with anything taller.It isn’t that steep but it is long so pacing is important. In 2019 Rich and I did it and conversation was challenging as I pushed my way up . The reward is that sweeping downhill grade coming into town as I watched Rich taking full advantage of basic physics….and gravity! Since my clever “over the bars” trick in 2018 I have reduced my downhill antics but still enjoy a fast ride down now and then. The broken bones at only 12mph on flat ground had me rethink those 33mph downhills. When I was up there on the Medici I rode 700 x 25 RaceLite tires and that was fine with about 95lbs on the rear and 85 on the front. For the event the Colnago has 700 x 28 Panarcers that will cruise along the gravel road out to the lighthouse. No heroics for me just a great ride.

gugie 

That's changing the motor.

I don't have the option of not changing the motor from 4 decades ago. That ship has sailed.

rccardr 

I personally abhor the notion of someone else quantifying the quality of my enjoyment based on their interpretation of cultural propriety.
One simply does what one can, and accepts the efforts of others in the same manner.

Gary12000 

I thought that was hub gears for a second ala Sturmy Archer ..

Gary12000 

Anyone Like Rapha gear?
I found on there website under products and highlights then archive sale I found wool or part wool retro styled jerseys, they are still expensive but super well made, definitely quality merch, also there very efficient return process with free shipping as the XL was too tight around my muscular mid section, or what my dad used to call "Undeveloped Muscle"...

SO i went for XXL and that was more to the liking of my Svelte physique... Im 6ft 1 and 210lbs so its not like i'm overly stout, these Jerseys are European fit i think.

If anyone decides to order make a profile as it then remembers what you have ordered and makes the return process easier.

Tally Ho !

Gary12000 

Isn't this like a fancy dress party, some take it very seriously others put in a token effort, but as long as we all have a good time.. both are ok surely...

i propose to be more historic we eat tins of corned beef cold out of the can, followed by three cigarettes each to open up our lungs.. i mean we want to be truly vintage right???

merziac

Exactly, nail, head, BAM!

Nobody else has the oversight of this whole deal for anybody else, I'll put into it exactly what I put into it.

Anybody else's enjoyment of it is entirely on them.

We don't need no stinking badges, rules or useless input.

gugie 

No stinking badges!
No stinking rules!
No useless input? Damn there goes most of my posts.

merziac

I know, mine too.

gaucho777 

I finally booked a hotel. I'll be at the Squibb Houses B&B off Main Street near "downtown" Cambria, arriving Friday evening and returning Sunday afternoon. I'm probably flying solo, but my wife may join me.

Andy_K 

If you aren't smoking before the ride to open your lungs, why are you even there?

merziac

For the amphetamines and cheap wine?

Classtime 

OKOKOKOK...
But if I don't see more than a few cyclists on the long ride riding bikes that could have been entered in the concourse, It is not worth participating. I can make the effort and invite myself to some other ride you all do from time to time as a get-together.

mech986 

Nice choice, right in the thick of things and close to all the eateries except Moonstone Beach. You'll also be right kitty corner from Velo Cambria, the newest bike shop in town with a lot of vintage overtones.

https://velocambria.com/
Here's a few of the photos from the Fauxroica 2021 rides we went on. https://velocambria.com/faux-eroica-followup-fotos/

When Rick Denman finds a tarantula in the road!

Rick Denman down and dirty for the pic!

Velo Cambria on Saturday morning. That's Manny66 in the red, white and blue, I'm in front of the Roller Racing sign.

Ready to roll out. Burton Hill behind us to the south.

mech986 

For those just coming to this thread:
If you aren't already aware, Eroica California 2022, April 30-May 1, 2022 is on. Hopefully, the slowing down of the pandemic and easing of masking rules will allow this to happen and we can all have a safe and good time.
https://eroica.cc/en/california

IMO, I'm not sure what to expect from an organizational standpoint so my expectations are lower and tempered. I plan on being pretty much self sufficient but hope there is sufficient food and fluids at the major rest stops, otherwise, I'll bring some of my own and forage if needed,. I've tried to get in touch with Aaron Linn to see what he and his restaurant and others in town may be doing. I'm going to be happy if the course is well marked (I'll bring cue sheet plus iPhone/charger to keep track), and "enough" food to complete the ride. "I" am giving the organizers a wide range of expectations simply because its been a monumental headache for everyone worldwide for logistics, although I'm hoping for decent, if not pretty good. My main hope is about 500-700+ people show, the festival has plenty of vendors, and there's a decent showing in concours and display bikes. Appropriate mechanical and sag support would be a real plus. I have no idea if the Saturday dinner is happening or where, so I suggest even if you have a ticket like me, have alternate dinner plans ready at any of the many restaurants and eateries in town. IMO, I'm there to have a good time, see old and new friends, and have a positive outlook on just being able to get out and about again safely, that to me is cause for celebration. All this before suffering on Sunday.

I know many will have much higher expectations and would love for Eroica California to have improved upon what we had in 2019, me too. But I just don't know where things are and I just hope the event comes off reasonably well and we can all build upon it for 2023 or maybe even a Fall Eroica California.

Thalia949

If you previously registered for the cancelled 2020 event, does your registration automatically transfer to the 2022 event? I registered for the 2020, which was cancelled. Everything I have read from the organizers was it was automatic, but want to make sure I don't need to go into my account and re-register.

merziac

I would do exactly that regardless to be certain, "automatic" could be not.