Mechanic – Page 2 – PROBIKEWRENCH

Tools I Must Have – Post 1 in a Series

I’ve been drooling over several new tools lately, so I’ve decided to start a list of which tools/items are striking my fancy. Here’s the first of many:

This gem is a sweet new tool from Abbey Bike Works, called the Crombie. The Crombie does the obvious job of removing a cassette lockring. There are a few different models of the Crombie, including a single-sided model with a Campagnolo or Shimano head , a dual-sided model with Campagnolo AND Shimano heads, and a dual-sided SL model with both heads and a hollow handle. The hollow-handled SL model is made with the traveling mechanic in mind, understanding that for those mechanics, like myself, who utilize air travel from time-to-time, there are weight restrictions on toolboxes that we must meet, in order to spare extra fees.

It’s a pretty handy tool with these functions alone, but one additional function of the Crombie makes it stand head and shoulders above the rest. The Crombie fits over the quick release nut, enabling the mechanic to swap cassettes without removing the QR skewer. This is a HUGE plus for anyone having to make a cassette swap in a hurry. Sure it doesn’t take THAT much longer to remove the skewer, but every second counts in a race mechanic’s day… why not make it easier on yourself?

The fact that I can carry a handled multi-use tool, and eliminate two small bits and a wrench, makes this a tool that I must have. Several mechanic friends already have the tool, and are really enjoying it. Abbey Bike Works is also beginning production on a chain whip that the Crombie will slide into, making a very lightweight and compact two-tool combo. Both tools are on my shopping list, and will be purchased soon.

Oh, yeah… for an extra $10, you can get your name engraved on it, making it a truly custom piece. Yes, I’m a nerd. Yes, I’ll probably pop for the custom tool.

For more information on Abbey Bike Works and their line of tools, visit http://www.abbeybiketools.com/

“Parts Hangers” vs. “Bike Mechanics”

There is a difference between “Parts Hangers” and “Bike Mechanics.”

A Parts Hanger can resemble a Bike Mechanic, and knows their way around a bike, but doesn’t like working on bikes unless they’re installing new, high-end parts. You can tell a Parts Hanger by the way they check in a repair. If, when checking in a repair for service, the “mechanic” (and I use that term loosely in this situation) starts tallying up a list of new parts without properly checking over the bike, you may have a Parts Hanger on your hands. Inside the bike shop, a Parts Hanger “cherry-picks” the repairs they work on, leaving less expensive bikes or repairs that require actual work, for another mechanic to handle.

A real Bike Mechanic can actually fix bikes. It doesn’t matter what brand or style of bike, or what shape it is in… the real Bike Mechanic can make the bike function properly. Sure, there are instances where bikes are too far gone to repair, but in most cases, the real Bike Mechanic will do their best to repair the bike to the best functioning order it is capable of. Real Bike Mechanics are fluent in all bicycle styles, and you do not usually see them turn up their nose at a challenging repair.

Don’t get me wrong… real Bike Mechanics like working on nice things. It is extremely fun to piece together a custom build for a good customer, but that is not the only part of a Bike Mechanic’s job. It’s easy to work on nice stuff… it’s engineered to work flawlessly. The mark of a true Bike Mechanic is whether or not they can make the crappy stuff work. Real Bike Mechanics do not cut corners, and they get the job done right – the first time.

And Bicycle Race Mechanics take it exponentially farther…

Tour of Utah Recap – Stages 1-3

My week at the Tour of Utah with Carmichael Training Systems was amazing, as expected. We had four athletes and three coaches, so the workload was okay for just one mechanic (me) and one soigneur (Colleen). Here’s a quick little day by day rundown of what happened:

Pre-Race Organization Day

The day before the start of the race, all the athletes and staff arrived, and we hit the ground running. As the athletes each arrived from the airport, they brought their bikes to me in the hotel parking lot, where all the teams were set up. I found a great spot next to some mechanic friends that work for Optum/KBS and got comfortable. My workspace consisted of a folding table, my toolbox, a box of ProGold lubricants and supplies that we were given (Thanks, Bruce!), my Feedback Sports Pro-Elite repair stand, two a-frame bike racks, and a CTS E-Z Up tent. That was really all I needed to get bikes built. Later in the week, I would need water hookups to wash down the bikes and such, but for initial building and preparation, it wasn’t necessary.

After all the prep work was done for the first stage, we had a rider/staff meeting to introduce each other, discuss the details of the camp, and plan out the next day’s schedule. It’s important to keep meetings like that kind of chill and to try and get to know the athletes a little better. Developing trust with them is key. They need to trust me to work on their bikes and support them throughout the week. I try to learn the athletes’ little habits and nuances early in the game, so I can address them before a situation arises on the road. By doing that, we can eliminate a lot of panic-stricken situations in the future.

Stage 1 – Ogden to Ogden (131.7 miles)

The logistics of this first day were kind of weird. In order for us not to get caught by the pros, we had to cut off a little “lollipop” section of course near Henefer, UT. We started out strong for about 200m… then the day’s first flat tire. Because we hastily prepared and had supplies and staff coming from several different locations, we forgot to pack any spare wheels. After installing a new tire and tube, the new tube was pinched by the tight bead of the tire. Flat tire number two. After changing that, we were on our way.

Less than 30 minutes later, as the riders were ascending through a tight canyon, just north of Ogden, we had a third flat on the road. One rider picked up a piece of debris in a tire, causing him to develop a somewhat slow leak. The object was removed from the tire, a new tube installed, and we were back on the road… again. Luckily, this would be the last flat for quite some time. We continued out of the canyon, and kept pedaling down the road.

After several rest stops and our turn around point on Hwy 65, we returned towards Ogden. We had to stop near Interstate 84 and wait a few minutes because the pro race was coming through. It gave us a good time to refuel, and the first chance for the CTS athletes to see the actual race in progress. Afterwards, we continued back up towards Ogden, making a rest stop in Eden. At the Eden rest stop, CTS coach Kirk Nordgren’s cousin was waiting with her kids and had homemade signs to cheer him on! That was a really cool experience, primarily because it was in the middle of nowhere, and they were just hanging out waiting for us.

After the last KOM of the day, North Ogden Divide, CTS coach Colin Izzard’s carbon clincher wheels came apart on the descent. He had been feeling pulsating during braking all day, but we couldn’t feel anything structurally upon inspection. Less than 500m into the descent, he comes on the radio and said his wheels were toast. Both his tires had punctured, and both his rims were victims of overheating and delamination. Not cool. He was very lucky to be able to control the bike without crashing, or worse. Definitely a situation where spare wheels would have been nice to have. We loaded he and his bike in the CTS truck and continued down the hill to finish with the group.

I had a bit of parts-switching to do after Stage 1. Kirk (camp manager), offered his wheels to Colin (lead coach), so he could continue to ride with the CTS athletes. Going from carbon rims to aluminum rims, this meant switching brake pads, wheels, and ensuring the gearing was proper for the rest of the week’s climbs. After switching around the parts, the bikes were washed and tuned, before stowing them in my hotel room (because of lack of a team trailer at this event – the CTS trailer was at Leadville, CO, supporting the riders at the Leadville Trail 100).

Stage 2 – Miller Motorsports Park – Team Time Trial (13.5 miles, 3 laps)

We transferred from our hotel in Ogden, south of Salt Lake City to Miller Motorsports Park, near Tooele, UT. The CTS athletes were getting the opportunity to get on course before the pros for the Team Time Trial stage of the Tour of Utah, which meant they were going to be riding their bikes on the world-class track, normally used for motorcycle and auto racing. We were able to set up our pit area inside one of the garages at the facility, just like the pro teams did. The guys took three laps on the track; one to warm up and get used to the track, a second “hot” lap, where they utilized time trial tactics, and after a quick clinic on the team time trial, a third cool-down lap. The guys were stoked to be able to get on the course, and I was stoked to be able to follow them in the support vehicle. I’m not going to lie… it was pretty rad to drive the truck on the track, even if I wasn’t pushing it as hard as I would have liked…

I left the track a little earlier than the athletes, so I could get back to the hotel and get the bikes ready for the next day’s stage. The guys only did 13.5 miles on the day, so they didn’t need as much attention as they did after a 100-mile day. I wiped them down with some ProGold ProTowels, checked them over, and put the bikes away for the evening.

Stage 3 – Ogden to Salt Lake City – 85.5 miles

Stage 3 was very interesting. The Tour of Utah’s route utilized a lot of the same roads on this stage as it used on Stage 1, just backwards. The first climb of the day was heading the opposite direction over North Ogden Divide, then ran the route backwards, to Snowbasin for the third time this tour. Following that, we descended down to Morgan, UT, and around a reservoir to Hwy 65, and up over a mean little climb called Big Mountain. It was a pretty big challenge for the guys, and there was some separation in the group, but the view at the top and the descent into Salt Lake City was amazing. The CTS athletes continued to surprise me, and did a great job staying together. It made it pretty easy to support them from the vehicle, and take care of them when they needed assistance because of their cohesion as a group.

Except for Stage 1, there were no real mechanicals, flats, or any real issues up to this point, which made me feel pretty confident in the work I was putting into the bikes. Usually, the third day is when everything starts to get ironed out, as far as systems go. I was starting to nail down my organization of the support vehicle, seeing how things were working for me on a couple of road race stages, and figuring out the group’s dynamic. After a few days on the road, you get used to their patterns of natural breaks and rest stops, and beat them to the punch. The key is to be one step ahead of the game, unless you can’t be… then you just remain flexible.

I’ll write more about stages 4-6 tomorrow.

Repair Stand Roulette

After working USPRO Championships with Team Exergy in May, I sold my trusty Park Tool PRS-21 repair stand to a buddy back home, so I could purchase a new stand I had seen on some cycling blogs, the Feedback Sports Sprint repair stand. The SRAM NRS West Coast crew and Josh from Team Exergy had already been using the Sprint stand since Sea Otter, and being a fan of the fork-mounted repair stand, I wanted to get my hands on one. I called Feedback, and placed one on backorder to ensure delivery as quickly as possible.

Fast forward a few months… no Sprint Stand yet. I called back and forth to Feedback to see if there were any updates, and they told me that they had received some feedback (pardon the pun) on the stands from the prototype units that had been sent to the race teams, and were making improvements before they put them to market. I completely understand that, and as an end-user, I’d rather not hassle with additional modifications needing to be made after the initial purchase. It should be as simple as pulling the stand out of the box and getting to work.

Unfortunately, the delivery date on the Sprint stand is August 9th-10th, and I’m flying out for the Tour of Utah on the 5th of August, so… I had to make a switch. This time around, I had to pass on the Sprint stand for the good ol’ Feedback Pro-Elite stand. I’ve used the Pro-Elite in the past at several events, and used the same clamp in a Park floor-mounted shop stand before. It works well, and I’ve had no issues with the ones I’ve dealt with on previous occasions, so I don’t mind making the switch. It will be here next week, just in time for the Utah trip.

Thanks to Feedback Sports for not compromising the integrity of the product by pushing it to market before it is ready, and ultimately looking after the customer. Even though the outcome isn’t exactly what I had hoped for, I appreciate the honesty and the willingness to work with me to get me taken care of in a pinch. I look forward to dealing with Feedback Sports again in the future, because of their great products, but more importantly, because of their amazing customer service.

(Another quick customer service note about Feedback Sports: Earlier this year, at the CTS Bucket List Tour of California Race Experience, we didn’t have any racks to hang the bikes from before or after rides, and were in a bind. We had been leaning the bikes against the truck and trailer for the first two days of the event, which was not very safe, especially with the quality of the bikes that the CTS clients were riding. One of our mechanics, Mike Hetrick (Mr. Goodbike, Gainesville, FL) called his friend Doug (founder/president of Feedback) and he was able to ship us two A-Frame portable event stands NEXT DAY from Colorado, allowing us to be safe with the bikes, and to be more efficient in our work for the remainder of the trip. This is one reason I decided to choose Feedback Sports for my repair stand purchase. Kudos to the staff of Feedback Sports for all their good work!)

Down Time

I’ve had the last few weeks off, and I’ve been collecting my thoughts and trying to figure out what’s next for me. Last week, Niki and I dropped the kids off at my folks’ house and we spent a couple of days in Asheville, NC. She surprised me with a ziplining trip at Asheville Zipline Canopy Adventures. I wasn’t expecting it, but enjoyed it thoroughly. Our guides, Joe and Jamie were AMAZING! If you’re ever in Asheville, visit the Crowne Plaza Resort and check them out!

The next day, we visited my buddy Andy Grabowski’s shop, Chainheart Cycling Studio, on Riverside Drive in Asheville. I’ve been telling him for the last several years that I would come up and visit, and I finally made good on my threat! Andy and his partner, Chad, run a sweet little cycling studio (not your ordinary bike shop…) that caters to higher-end and professional clients from all over. Andy’s been a good friend since he worked for SRAM and I was Head Mechanic for the Aaron’s Women’s Team. The last time I saw him was this year at USPRO Championships, where he and Chad worked for Team Liquigas riders Ted King, and eventual USPRO Champion, Timmy Duggan. Andy’s work wins races… big ones. If you’re ever in Asheville, go see Andy.

We had to drive home quickly, because the following day was the Georgia Games Road Race. It was the Georgia State Championship Road Race this year, and it was the goal I set for riding and getting back into some form of shape lately. The most fun part for me was that it was going to be my wife’s first bike race… EVER! We met as a result of cycling and she’s been involved with it for 9 years, but had never done a bike race herself. She was extremely nervous, but I was proud of her for just starting the race. The first one is definitely the hardest. She finished one of two laps, with a very strong women’s field (they averaged 21mph for Cat 4 Women!!!), and I was super-proud.

My race (Cat 4 Men) was a decent race for me. I was riding with my friend Harvey’s Lifetime Bikes/Loganville Ford team. Since I left my previous shop, I had no real team affiliation, so Harvey brought me a kit for the day’s racing. I missed my start by a few seconds because I had forgotten my energy gels, but was able to catch the peloton within the first half mile, so no reason for panic. We started out with a really fast first lap, in which my teammate and friend, Stephen Baxter, was taken out by a crash. He survived, but had to pop his shoulder back in place before his race on Sunday…

It was a pretty quick pace throughout the race, and got progressively hotter as the race went on. At the start of lap 3, one of our Lifetime Bikes/Loganville Ford teammates attacked right before the start/finish, and I was sitting about 4th wheel. I tried to get on the front and slow down the pace, but he didn’t have the energy to sustain a solo break with 45 other riders chasing not too far behind him. Right after the last turn on the last lap, some idiot decided to take a drink from his bottle and hit a reflector in the road, causing a massive crash. We were less than 2 miles from the finish at that point… any smart racer would have already fueled up for the finish by that point and been ready to turn on the gas. As we neared the finish, our aggressive motoref pulled EXTREMELY close to the field with less than 500m to go and tried to start relegating more people. It got too dangerous for my tastes, and my legs were worked from the race, so I pedaled across the line for 28th place out of 65 racers. My goals were accomplished: Finish with the field, and don’t crash.

A good friend I made at the Carmichael Training Systems Tour of California Race Experience, Will Williamson, came up and raced his first road race and criterium over the weekend. He and his wife, Jenny, came up from Alabama the previous weekend with the kids to hang out and for us to pre-ride the race course. They left the kids at home with the grandparents, so we had a chance to hang out with them after the road race. We didn’t really have any plans on Saturday, so we went down to East Point and watched the action at the Dick Lane Velodrome. They were having a big race weekend, and Outback Bikes had free tickets available, so we got the chance to introduce them to the track. Bumped into Jeff Hopkins (one of my former Jittery Joe’s riders, and track operator), Scott Patton (race announcer, and overall good guy), Joe Eldridge (Racer and Friend, Team Type 1), and Jon Woodroof (TwoToneATL.com, Bike Blogger, Instagram hero). Good times had by all.

Since Monday, I’ve been helping Harvey out over at Lifetime Bikes in Loganville, GA. One of his mechanics is on vacation, so I’ve been getting my hands dirty a little bit. If you haven’t made the trek over to Loganville, you most definitely should. The shop does a little bit of everything, but based on the cyclists coming in the door, I’d say it’s mostly a road shop. There are LOTS of group road rides that leave FROM THE SHOP (key to a successful road following), and Harvey’s got a passion for getting out there and cycling, himself. He competed in the road race and criterium this past weekend and pulled off a 2nd place in the Cat 5 crit at West Oak. Not bad for the owner of the bike shop, huh?

I’ve had a great time over here, and I’ve got one day left. Tomorrow is my 32nd birthday, and I get to spend it doing something I love. Working on bikes. I’ve said enough for now. I’ll catch up later.