Advice Column
by gavia
on Jun 19, 2008 11:16 AM EDT
Todays New York Times brings us a how-to article with basic advice on buying a bike and riding it from Jonathan Vaughters and Christian Vandevelde.
A few highlights.
On buying a bike? Vaughters advises that a $1500 bike is much better than a $800 bike. But $8000? Not so much. Save your cash, he says, and buy some nice shorts.
Allen Lim gives us recipes for homemade on-the-bike nutrition, involving rice and nutella.
A nice photo of Christian shows us correct bike fit. They give all the standard starter tips, like say, lining up your bars with your hub. There's also a complicated equation for your saddle to bottom bracket position. My brain exploded when they tried to mix inches and road bikes. I think I heard the cosmos crack. But then, plumb line isn't exactly simple-sounding either.
There's stuff about wattage, and how to find some base numbers.
Yet again, Garmin-Chipotle (ha! first use of the new name!) does a super fabulous job of press placement. This article appeared in the first page of the styles section, and a photo appeared in the front page table of contents. Nicely done. There's a surprising amount of information here. A totally new rider could clip and save, head to the bike shop, and have a decent starting point to talk bikes. Yes, the sticklers will argue that the fit information, for example, is hopelessly simplified. And yes, for an experienced rider it is. All the same, if you are new to the sport, you need a starting point, and these traditional "rules" are perfect for establishing a base line fit. You can then work from there to reach fit nirvana. For a styles section article, this one is well done. Indeed, perhaps the Times should have sent this writer to the press conference yesterday. The material is far more interesting than the press conference questions.
Chapeau to Vaughters for another well-placed and well-executed press appearance! And grazie to the New York Times for giving them some ink!
Read the entire article.
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from the article...
..love the ”....and won the individual time trial at the Tour of Georgia in May.” part…wasn’t it a team time trial? whatever makes him look good! i do like the guy, just not the “creative” journalism.
Save The Legs!!!
by jack376 on Jun 19, 2008 11:32 AM EDT 0 recs
Advice Column
When I first read this title, I thought you were starting a new column – Dear Gavia, like Dear Abby.
Dear Gavia
I have this big crush on Benna, but he is in Italy and I am here and I cant afford to move to be closer.
What should I do?
by roadside on Jun 19, 2008 11:59 AM EDT 0 recs
Dear Gavia
My wife refuses to understand why I need a new Pinarello Prince with the new Campy group (the one that goes to eleven) and a set of Lightweight wheels despite multiple attempts on my part to explain it to her. I even went so far as to put together a spreadsheet comparing the cost per day of the Pinarello to the cost of a gym membership combined with a therapist. The ROI is a measly 16 years! What can I do to convince her?
Signed,
Pinarello-less Prince
Which Italian Pro Tour Team rides the Cannondale SystemSix?
by Jimbo... on Jun 19, 2008 12:30 PM EDT 0 recs
oh. no.
you so do not want to give me ideas like that.
{chortle}
somehow i think chris might not approve…
by gavia on Jun 19, 2008 12:55 PM EDT 0 recs
And
you’d be wrong…
"If writing too much about the Classics is wrong, I don't want to be right."
by Chris... on
Jun 19, 2008 1:32 PM EDT
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Dear Gavia
What can I do? Drew keeps picking the same guys as me for the VDS competition. Now I get punished by association every time the gods of cycling strike down upon his team with furious anger. I have done nothing wrong , I’m just a poor innocent boy from the country, and I don’t deserve to suffer for other people’s wrongdoings. I’m OK with Drew being punished, he has most likely done horrible things to deserve what he gets (like put Shimano on an italian frame or something similar) but is it right that I should suffer too? I don’t know where else to turn, I’m so sad and confused and I can’t seem to stop crying. Please tell me what to do, Gavia.
by Jens on Jun 19, 2008 12:58 PM EDT 0 recs
so laughing my ass off right now
okay, i really really have to go. there’s a heat wave thingy here in cali and i really gotta ride before it’s africa out there.
back later with, erm, some answers…
by gavia on Jun 19, 2008 1:06 PM EDT 0 recs
Dear Gavia
The TV at my office is busted. Can you advise me on reasonable excuses for not coming into work until noon (or later) during the 18 non-rest, business days of Le Tour in July?
by cg. on Jun 19, 2008 1:31 PM EDT 0 recs
Dearest Gavia...
Is it wrong to fake morning sickness for 3 weeks in July to explain late arrivals to work everyday? The miscarriage could be explained on the final Sunday with a massive stress with the final sprint, right? I work with men, they would not ask for details….
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."
by nikki on
Jun 19, 2008 3:13 PM EDT
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No
they would insist on not hearing any details. Just start a sentence with “I was talking with my gynecologist…” and it’s game over.
"If writing too much about the Classics is wrong, I don't want to be right."
by Chris... on
Jun 19, 2008 3:34 PM EDT
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Well then...
I am so very set for 3 weeks of all on Tour watching. When do we start the fun? Ha ha ha!!!
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."
by nikki on
Jun 19, 2008 3:56 PM EDT
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Descending advice in the article by Frank Schleck ...
“When negotiating curves, he said, position your feet so that the pedal on the inside of the curve is down, with the outside pedal up”
And look at the outside of the road, so that you ride into the ditch …
Wow – someone is going to crash doing that and sue the NYT!
by mikelpearce on Jun 19, 2008 1:45 PM EDT 0 recs
Downhilling
How many of you caught this error earlier in the day?
An earlier version of this article misstated a technique for negotiating downhill curves. The rider’s inside pedal should be up, not down.
When I read the article I first thought, Man, I must be reading this wrong. I never got around to commenting, but I’m glad they corrected it. That could be disastrous.
by johnw on Jun 19, 2008 8:47 PM EDT 0 recs
Is it just me, or is Vaughters the most mainstream media savvy dude in cycling?
I mean, Discovery had a dang TV channel sponsoring them, and the most they got was a short lived series and some commercials (which is the least we’d expect, right), but Master JV is getting significant coverage in the Grey Lady & elsewhere w/o even any significant wins (in the eyes of our mainstream media).
Different subject: my proposed new nickname for Garmin-Chiptole is the Garpies. Doesn’t have quite the same ring as Slippies, but at least it keeps the same last syllable, includes the new sponsor, and sort of sounds like “fart”, so it also brings in the chipotle burrito bit, right?
by Cyclingrush on Jun 19, 2008 9:37 PM EDT 0 recs
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