April 2008 Issue - Cycling Utah

APRIL 2008 cycling utah.com 17left onto Wall Street leads to theinevitable mayhem of 300 West/US89. Battle traffic for 1.5 miles; thenveer right onto the frontage road at1810 North. Dodge potholes anddump trucks, merge with US 89 fora short spell, and come to the trafficcircle at Eagle Ridge Drive. Upyou go!You’ll exhaust your gears inshort order, and your heat rate willramp up to the red zone instantly.The road curves out of the valleyand onto the ancient LakeBonneville shoreline 800 feet above,passing ritzy custom homes alongthe way. Whether you’re a lithespinner or a powerhouse diesel,you’ll find that the savage grade isborderline humorous. The hill slackensin a half mile, but only briefly,then it pitches up again to a crushing12-percent for another half mile.Ouch!High fives when you reachEaglewood Golf Course, and relaxwhile rolling along BountifulBoulevard. The Great Salt Lake canbe seen between the custom homes,and Ogden’s Ben Lomond pokes itshead over the shoulder of BountifulPeak. Pass the Bountiful Temple andready the brakes for a sharp drop offthe foothills, as Bountiful Boulevardbends and becomes 400 North. Thisis no place to tuck-and-glide becauseyou’ll have to brake hard for thestop sign at 1300 East. A quick leftonto Davis Boulevard takes youback through an upscale neighborhoodfor several miles to 3100South. Another high-speed descenttakes you to Orchard Drive, whichreturns you to the traffic circle atEagleridge Drive. Another lap?Finish off the ride by retracing yourtracks to Liberty Park, exercisingextreme caution along Beck Street/US 89.Excerpted from Bicycling SaltLake City, by Gregg BromkaGet copies of Gregg's Utahguidebooks: Bicycling Salt LakeCity, Mountain Biking Utah,Mountain Biking Utah’s WasatchFront, and Mountain Biking ParkCity & Beyond. at your favoritebike shop.Mechanic's CornerRoutine MaintenanceBy Tom JowRoutine maintenance is animportant and unfortunate part ofowning and riding a bicycle. Timespent working on the bike equalsless time spent riding. A well-tunedbike, however, performs better andlasts longer. Will you be workingon your own bike this year? Maybeyou take it to the shop for the annualspring tune-up. Either way, howdo you know how much servicethe bike really needs? Performingregular maintenance on your bikekeeps you in touch with what needsservice and when. It also makes iteasier to communicate with the techsat the shop should you need theirassistance.Your bicycle service shouldalways begin with washing the bike.Nobody likes to work on a dirtybike. First, if it’s a mountain bike,make a mental note if the suspensionfork or rear shock is particularly oilyand dirty. Then, degrease the chain,cassette and chainrings. Remove thewheels; wash them and the framewith soapy dishwater. Rinse everythingwith a light spray of the waterhose.Now that everything is clean,begin by inspecting the wheels.Quickly check the tire tread andsidewalls for cuts and other damage.Also look at the rims for anydents or cracks. Next, roll the axlesgently between the fingers. Theyshould roll smoothly and quietly.Any roughness indicates a need foradjustment or overhaul. Grasp theaxle end and attempt to wiggle itsideways. If you feel movement,an adjustment may be required. Beaware, however, hubs with cartridgebearings are usually not adjustable.When worn out, cartridge bearingsrequire replacement.While the wheels are off, inspectthe bottom bracket. Derail the chainand examine it using the same procedureas the hubs. The modernbottom bracket uses cartridge bearings.If the axle spins rough or haslateral movement it will need tobe replaced for best performance.Next, inspect the chainrings. Wornchainrings have teeth that appearto have hooks. In some cases theymay look like the dorsal fin of ashark. Chainrings that are worn cancontribute to an occurrence calledchain-suck. Also look for bent orbroken teeth.Prior to installing the wheels isthe time to inspect the brake pads.Rubber brake pads that are unevenlyworn (it’ll be obvious) should bereplaced. Also, small stones andbits of aluminum are often embeddedin the brake pad surface. Thesebits can be easily removed carefullywith a sharp pointed tool. Disc brakepads are easily examined by lookinginto the brake caliper with a flashlight.The disc brake pads shouldbe replaced when the pad material,which is bonded to a metal backingplate, is 2mm thick or less.When these checks are done,restore the chain, wheels and brakesto their functioning position. Spinthe wheels to see if they straightand round. Now inspect the chainfor any twisted or damaged links.An easy way to do this is to rotatethe cranks backward slowly whilewatching the chain closely. Alsolook over the cassette and chainringsfor damaged or bent teeth. Keep inmind that when replacing any onecomponent of the drivetrain (i.e.chain, cassette, chainring) there is apossible incompatibility between thenew and old part. This may causethe chain to skip under hard pedalpressure.A skipping chain may also becaused by worn or dirty derailleurcables. Dirty or worn cables do notallow the derailleur to align properlyunder the cassette. Cables in goodcondition slide smoothly inside thecable housing. They will also befree from kinks and broken strands.Remember to check the cable headinside the brake or shifter lever. Alsoinspect the cable housings and brakelines. These too should be free fromboth kinks and cracks. It is possiblethat these housings may be wornon the exterior from the friction ofrubbing somewhere on the frame.Replace any housings or brake lineswith significant exterior wear.Before packing up all the tools,remember those dirty suspensionparts? Inspect the fork legs and/or rear shock shaft for wear andscratches. When extremely worn,these parts will have aluminum colorshowing through. It is important tokeep these parts clean and scratchfree to avoid premature. Wipe theshock and forks clean before everyride.That’s all there is to it. Includingbike wash, this inspection can beperformed in less than an hour. Infact, this is similar to the servicethat team mechanics perform onevery bike, every day. Done everycouple weeks, or when the bike is sodirty you can’t stand it, this routinemaintenance will reduce the chanceof problems on the road or trail. Itwill also keep you and your bikeperforming tiptop without spendingtoo much time in the shop.Tom works at Wild RoseSports in Salt Lake City. He hasdone sales, repairs, race teamsupport and bicycle fitting fornearly 30 years.Lecture AnnouncementApril 24thDavid Blomme, a Senior Industrial Designerat Trek Bicycle Corp., will be giving anexclusive, inside view, on the developmentof Trek’s latest tour winning bike,the Madone,April 24th at 7:30 p.m.Please R.S.V.P. to 801-763-1222Light refreshments Served.Located in the Meadows Shopping Center356 N. Meadow laneAmerican Fork, UT, 84003801.763.1222www.trekaf.com801-942-3498 or www.intermountaincup.comMarch 1The Desert Rampage, St. George, UTApril 12Cholla Challenge, Hurricane, UTMay 3Showdown at Five Mile Pass, Lehi, UTMay 10Wimmer's Bicycle Race, Sherwood Hills, UTMay 17Soldier Hollow Hammerfest, Heber City, UTMay 26Stan Crane Memorial XC, Draper, UTMay 31The Sundance Spin, Sundance, UTJune 7Deer Valley Pedalfest, Deer Valley Resort, UTJune 14Chris Allaire Memorial/Utah Open StateChampionship, Solitude, UTJuly19The 20th Annual Mountain Bout, Snowbird, UTJuly 26Taming the Tetons, Jackson Hole, WYAugust 9Wolverine Ridge XC Race, Double Points!,RegionalFinals, Evanston, WYAll races are Cross Country Events, No License Required!The Rotary Clubof American Fork proudlyannounces the Inaugural Utah...Join UsJuly 12, 20089:00 am atGreenwood Elementary School50 East 200 South • American ForkQuestions?Call 763-1216It’s simple. Race 21 miles and see who isthe king donut! In circuit style, ride 7 miles,then eat as many donuts asyou would like. No limit.Then, ride 7 more miles,eat more donuts, thenride the last 7 mile lap.Glory and adulation arewaiting for you at the Finish Line. Proceedsbenefit the Utah Amber Alert ID project.Visit www.utahtourdedonut.com for more informationFor eachdonut eatenyou’ll get a 3minute timededuction!photo: joaquimhailer.comSponsored by: