Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Review: Shimano Compact Chain Ring

_TJK5666 - Version 2

I'm a spinner when I ride my bike. I spin on the flats, I spin in the hills. Grinding is just not my game. The challenge this presents is that I'm constantly shifting from my small chainring to the big ring, and back. This type of shifting is just not as smooth as flicking the chain up or down the cassette in back. Front shifting is rougher, mucks up your pacing and can lead to a dropped chain. Mind you, it's not that I have any particular problem with the front derailleur, I'd just like to ignore it once in a while.

"Get a compact crankset", says The Boss, "I have one and love it. I can finally use all ten of those gears in back". The Boss' advice is usually sound so I've been poking around bike shops looking at compact cranksets and discussing the advantages/disadvantages of going compact. Going compact refers to moving from the usual 39/53 tooth rings up front to something like 34/50. Compact has been de rigeur since Tyler Hamilton (Doper!) used them and finished well in the 2004 Tour de France.

I've only heard about two negatives. One is that going compact requires you to swap out the whole crankset since the smaller rings have a different hole pattern than their bigger brothers. Buying a good quality compact crankset runs in the range of $300.00 to $500.00. And the other negative is that some riders complain of running out of gearing on long, fast descents. Furthermore, I like Dura Ace stuff and they don't make a Dura Ace compact crankset. They did introduce a compact set this year in the Ultegra class (see HERE), but nothing Dura Ace as of yet.

I was convinced that the "running out of gears" issue wasn't going to be a problem. The hills here in Wisconsin can be steep, but they're short and usually have a stop sign or 90 degree turn at the bottom anyway. So the chances of a long, fast run-out are minimal. That left the issue of cost. $400.00 or so seemed just too expensive. Especially since my cranksets are still in good shape and are not in need of replacement. And what if I didn't like the new, expensive set? Elvis Kennedy does these equipment reviews because he cares. Not because some manufacturer sends Elvis free stuff in exchange for a positive review. If an expensive compact crankset doesn't meet expectations, the cash is gone. (Editor's note: If you'd like to send Elvis some free stuff in exchange for a positive review - please feel free!)

The Boss offered to let me ride his bike but I've discovered that to really test bike stuff you need to ride 200 miles or more to get a good feel for something. 500 miles is better. What to do?

Enter Shimano's new 50 tooth chain ring (see HERE). The hole pattern is compatible with my current Shimano set up (130mm spacing) and it's of Dura Ace lineage. For whatever reason there has not been a lot of press or advertising coverage of this little beauty. Which is surprising given all of the attention paid to compact cranksets as of late.

_TJK5660 - Version 2The new 50 tooth on top of the 53 tooth for size comparison

It lists for $119.99 but you can get it for a bit less at places like THIS. Note: as nice as it sounds to get into compact by buying a $120.00 ring instead of a $400.00 crankset, it stills befuddles Elvis that a small, stamped piece of aluminum runs this high. With the crankset you get a nice bottom bracket and carbon crankarms to go along with the rings. Surely the two rings of a crankset don't represent half the manufacturing costs of a compete crankset.

Some cycling buddies of mine discuss 'chain inches' when talking about chain rings and cassettes. I've never taken the time to figure out that rather complicated formula ( chainring / freewheel x 27 = chain inches). If I'm in the small ring up front and the fifth cog from the left in back I consider myself in fifth gear (out of twenty). But as a service to my dear readers you are hereby provided with a handy, dandy chart of chain inches for a rather wide range of chain ring and cog combinations. Pay close attention to the differences between the 53 tooth ring and the 50 tooth.


elviskchart

Handy, dandy chart

For you mathematically minded, here are a couple of formulas you can play with;

chainring / freewheel x 27 = chain inches
chain inches x PI (3.14) = distance per pedal revolution
chain inches x PI (3.14) x RPM x 60 / 63,360 = speed


My typical gear usage is as follows (I have an 11-23 cassette); climbing: 2-4, cruising 5-9, time trials or group ride speed: 13-17. By viewing the chart you can see that with a typical 39/53 set up I'm using both chain rings, but with a 50 tooth ring I can do everything but steep climbing on the 50 tooth ring. As I said earlier, there's nothing wrong with using both rings up front but the advantages of not having to front ring shift as often are smoother riding and reducing the chances of dropping a chain.

When I built up my bikes I paid special attention to the distance from the bottom of the front derailleur and the top of the big chain ring. According to Shimano this distance must fall within a certain range for proper shifting. As I mounted the 50 tooth ring I figured that I would also have to play with the front derailleur height. Since I was just planning on trying out the ring I really didn't want to mess around with anything else in fear that I would never get everything back to where it was. As it turns out, I made no adjustments to anything and the drivetrain works splendidly with either the 50 tooth or the 53 tooth ring mounted. Your mileage may vary but give it a go without mucking around with adjusting stuff.

_TJK6117 - Version 2

Mounting was easy, of course. Remove the five hex bolts, take off the ring, put on the new one, make sure that the little peg on the ring is aligned with the crank arm, replace the bolts, tighten the bolts. Done. Truth be told, nothing is ever quite that easy. The small ring has to be removed from the crank in order to get the big ring off and the small ring must be aligned a certain way too. Look closely on your small ring and you'll see a little arrow kind of like this "<". Just make sure that the little arrow is aligned with the crank arm (just like the little peg is on the big ring) and you'll be fine. Since the little ring is now loose you might as well take if off and give it a good cleaning. If you feel that you need a more complicated set of instructions you can go HERE to download Shimano's service documentation and exploded views for the Dura Ace crankset.

The 50 tooth ring itself is of Dura Ace quality. It's light in weight, strong and has that Dura Ace high quality finish. It's built to the same exacting standards as the 53 tooth ring so there is no reason to feel that you've lost anything in terms of quality. It's simplicity is brilliant and Shimano's decision to offer this stand alone ring instead of forcing Dura Ace fans to buy a whole new crankset is refreshing in these days of corporate greed.

In action the ring behaves just like it should, namely; you don't have to think about it. There's nothing to adjust and it won't break. The only question is whether the gearing will work for you.

Although this particular chainring is designated Dura Ace, you don't have to have a Dura Ace crank to use it. Any Shimano or other brand crank will suffice as long as the bolt pattern is 130mm. It will work wonderfully on an Ultegra set-up.

In my testing I was surprised by how different the gearing felt. Look at the chart above and take the 53-20 combo for example. In gear inches it's 71.6. The closest on the 50 ring is a 50-19 which gives you 71.1 gear inches. This may sound funny but that 0.5 difference in gear inches 'feels' different to me. Oftentimes I feel like I'm in-between gears. This is surely a result of too much riding and a good reminder of just how in-tune a person can become with a machine. Is that a good thing?

Riding with the 50 tooth ring is a refreshing change of pace and as soon as I adjust to the slightly different gearing I'll be happy. Infrequent use of the front derailleur means I have less to think about and it means that I be a smoother rider. And if other riders who are unaware that Shimano makes a 50 tooth ring think that I'm a stud by climbing in my big ring, all the better!

With a (relatively) inexpensive way of going compact all while keeping the option of going back to a standard set-up with a simple swap of chainrings, I couldn't be happier. The Shimano 50 tooth chainring is highly recommended.

Elvis Kennedy's Rating:

Overall: 9.3
Ride: 10.0
Fit/Finish: 10.0
Value: 8.0

Hey Shimano, if you didn't charge $120.00 for a piece of aluminum (or, al-u-min-e-um to you Brits out there) you would have received a perfect 10.

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Friday, September 22, 2006

Anything for Darin

The weather here in Wisconsin sucks. Sucks! Sucks! Sucks! September is supposed to be the month in which we get rewarded for a long, cold winter, a wet, cool spring and a hot and humid summer. September is usually brilliantly sunny, warm and dry. Not this year. Cold, wet, windy. Pick any two of the three from that list and you can describe every day this month. As I write this it's 55 degrees, heavy rain and winds of 17mph gusting to 23.

Since I can't ride my bike I thought I'd post a quick one just to make Darin happy (see his comment under the 9/17/06 entry). That's right Darin, complain that I haven't posted anything all week just so that you'll have something to do at work. Never mind that I've been working diligently on a couple of equipment reviews and a couple of political rants so that you and my other dear readers will have something to enjoy. Never mind that I've been working diligently at my job, traveling across the country just so I can feed my family. It's all about you, isn't it?

Noticing these two pretty views of the final sunset of Summer 2006 I actually stopped the car to snap some pictures, just for Darin;

CIMG0654 - Version 2CIMG0673 - Version 2

Even while stuck in construction zone traffic I was thinking about my next blog entry, just to please Darin;

CIMG0682 - Version 2

Then, just to please Darin, I spent hours scouring the internet for funny, cycling related videos. Here you go Darin. I hope that you're happy now;

Here's one of a knuckle-head wiping out before getting to the steps he was going to jump.

And here's one of a guy jumping his bike off of a rooftop.

And just because Elvis cares so deeply about Darin, Elvis himself, just for Darin, travelled all the way to Lambeau Field and smuggled in a camera (violating several State and Federal laws (not to mention the USA Patriot Act)), just to shoot this VIDEO of the Navy F18 flyover. For Darin.

Sunday, September 17, 2006

(Don't) Lean On Me

Another cycling video for your enjoyment.

Lean On Me


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Thursday, September 14, 2006

Don't Let This Happen To You

If a picture tells a thousand words a video tells a million. There is nothing I can add. Click to view the video;

Celebrate after you cross the finish line.

Cubicle Dwellers: There is sound on this video. Make sure that The Man doesn't hear you goofing off at work.

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Monday, September 11, 2006

9/11 + 5

Watching some of the 9/11 specials on television really makes you stop and think. That was one incredible day and we all remember where we were, what we were doing and who we were with. That stuff is easy to remember. One thing that seems harder to remember is how vulnerable we all felt in the days, weeks and months following that day. It's hard to believe five years have gone by without a further terrorist attack here in the USA. On 9/11/01 no one thought that we could go five years without another bad day.

I hate how both parties, democrats and republicans, politicize terrorism. Republicans talking about how the democrats would rather hug Osama bin Laden than kill him. And democrats saying that the republicans are exploiting death and destruction. I'm confident that all Americans, including guys like John Kerry and Al Gore, want bin Laden dead. And President Bush should be able to talk about successes in stopping further terrorism without being charged with being a power hungry imperialist.

In any event, the current administration should be congratulated for keeping us safe these past five years. Well done!

permit

And for all of you out there that are buying into the latest conspiracy theory that the U.S. government was involved in the September 11, 2001 attacks (as you can read HERE and HERE), let me just say this; you're a bunch of freaking morons! Conspiracy theories are for simple-minded folks who can't get their heads around reality. September 11th was chaos. Conspiracy theories usually arise from knuckle-heads trying to make order out of chaos. Sometimes crazy, wacky, terrifying things happen. Nobody wants to believe that 19 guys with box cutters and plane tickets could cause so much grief - but it happened.

I'm no demolitions expert (although I sometimes stay at Holiday Inn Express and I frequently watch the Discovery Channel) but it occurs to me that for the controlled implosion of the Twin Towers someone would have had to drill holes in the center support columns (all 48 of them) at every floor (all 110 of them) and place some dynamite. And then run precisely measured wires at, to and in between each of the placements (all 5,280 of them). And do this at each tower. But no one noticed this activity? No one saw or heard the drilling, wiring and so-forth? The conspiracy people say that this would have been relatively easy. Really? I visited the World Trade Center with my kids in August of 2001 and there was an enormous amount of security just to get into the plaza area and into the elevators to whisk us up to the observation deck in the South tower. I also visited the 48th floor of the North tower on numerous occasions in 1999 and 2000 when I worked for a company that had Empire Blue Cross / Blue Shield as a client. Again, lots of security, check-ins, badges, sign-ins, sign-outs and so-forth. And yet we're to believe that many dozens of people were able to drill 48 holes into the steel at every floor without arousing suspicion. The drilling of the center columns probably wouldn't be enough, you'd likely need to place more dynamite on the skeletal columns (280 on each building) as well as on certain sections of the trusses at each floor.

250px-Wtc_nist1

Suppose for a moment that you could in fact place all 10,560 sticks (minimum) of dynamite without anyone noticing. You still need two small details to make this thing work. Hi-jack, commandeer and fly two commercial airliners, full of people, into the towers so that you can use that as an excuse for triggering the dynamite. And make sure that your inexperienced pilots could put the planes, traveling in excess of 500 miles per hour, at a precise location so that when you explode the top of the tower it looks as if it's breaking off right where the plane hit.

And one final item; since Flight 93 was headed for the Capital building in Washington, D.C. surely that building was full of explosives too. Is the stuff still there just waiting for an opportunity to be triggered?

Really, you people are idiots. But you're in good company with Charlie Sheen and Hugo Chavez.

For Popular Mechanics magazine's debunking of these myths go HERE.

For a much sillier conspiracy theory involving the folding of a twenty dollar bill go HERE.

And finally, I'm going to post a photo of myself and two of my daughters made in August of 2001, a few weeks prior to 9/11. We were in the observation deck gift shop of the World Trade Center and we had a nice young man make this for us as a souvenir. He took our pictures in front of a blue screen, did some photoshop magic and then superimposed it on a picture of the towers, looking up. It was very funny at the time. It was very creepy post-9/11. It had been on our refrigerator but on the evening of 9/11 my wife pulled it off, handed it to me and with tears in her eyes said, "This isn't funny anymore".

And now I post it in hopes that the kid who made it did not go to work early that day and is happily doing funny photoshop projects at the Statue of Liberty, or the NY Times, or somewhere - anywhere.

wtc2

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Review: Wippermann Connex Chain Link

If you're like me, you probably only remove your chain for replacement purposes. Removing it for cleaning is too time consuming as well as hard on the chain. And also like me, you probably use something like the Park chain scrubber to do the job. But I've never found that any of the on-the-bike chain cleaning devices work all that well. The only way to really clean a chain is to remove it from the bike and soak it in a good solvent. So what's an anal retentive cyclist to do? Find a way to easily remove, clean and reassemble the chain - that's what he does. Enter the Wippermann conneX chain link.

The Wippermann conneX chain link is designed to allow you to disassemble your chain in just a few seconds. The two small links replace one link in your chain and when used, allow you to quickly and easily take your chain off for cleaning, maintenance or replacement.

wippkit  048 Kit for use with Shimano 10-speed chains

There has been much discussion in on-line chat rooms regarding the suitability of using these for any chains other than Wippermann brand chains. The set I purchased through Performance Bike for $6.99 (on sale, usual price $9.99) is claimed by Wippermann to be compatible with a Shimano 10-speed chain.

First, how easy are they to assemble to your chain? Five minutes. I took one set of side links off of my chain so that both ends of the chain were the inner rollers (see photo). The little post on each of the conneX links slips into the hole of the rollers (make sure that your chain is not twisted). Important: The direction in which you slip the pieces on the chain is important so that you keep the "guiding curve" of the link positioned properly. Pictures are better than words. Just follow the photos below and you'll be set.

wipp2  049 wipp3  050

Then comes the tricky part; turn one of the conneX links up and the other one down. Snap the post of the opposite link into the link opening nearest the center part of the link (see photo). Do this with both links. Then pull the chain while squeezing the conneX together and the links will straighten out and the posts will slip to the outermost opening where they will be locked in place. You can see a short slide show of this process by going HERE and clicking "see how it's done".

To disassemble, simply turn the conneX link 90 degrees to the chain, push the two ends of the chain connected by the link towards each other and carefully pull the two conneX links apart with a little sideways twist.

wipp4  051wipp5  052

OK, now we've got the chain assembled. How does it work? Quite nicely, thank-you very much. I'm running a full Dura Ace drive train and the conneX link turns out to be compatible, running through the derailleur smoothly and quietly. You don't even know that it's there. If it's clean, that is. Since the side plates of the conneX are not being squeezed together by a pin like the rest of the links in the chain are, more dirt and grime can work their way into the link, causing it to get sticky and run rough. Is this a design feature or failure? If your chain has been subjected to enough gunk to cause the conneX to gum up, you should probably clean your chain. On the other hand, I'm lazy and don't like to be told what to do.

So what's the Elvis Kennedy verdict? We give it an 8.6 out of 10. It works like it should and makes removing the chain a snap. The fact that it can easily get gummed up is a concern, especially with Fall and bad weather quickly approaching. However, you'll have no excuses for not cleaning your chain at least once a week or so (roughly 250 miles) and if you keep it properly lubed (with a double dose on the conneX link) you should find that you'll get lots of riding in before the conneX tells you that it's bath time. A clean chain is a happy chain and the conneX link by Wippermann provides an easy, secure and inexpensive way to keep your chain happy.

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Saturday, September 02, 2006

Lies & the New York Times - A Match Made in Heaven



I shouldn't be surprised by this; after running 247 articles (many of them on the front page) bashing President Bush and the White House over the so-called Valerie Plame leak case (You do remember that don't you? The print and TV media bashed us over the head with it all of last year and the first half of this year. Click HERE if you need your memory jogged.), the New York Times has now decided to ignore the truth of the matter. That's right. After running 247 articles, each very critical of the Bush White House, the lofty NY Times, now that the truth is known, chooses to ignore the story. It's funny since the Times people are so well connected that they likely knew from day one that there was nothing to this story. Even Elvis Kennedy pointed out in This Post that the whole thing was silly. Once again, the New York Times shows it's true colors; if the story can be spun (even dishonestly) to hurt President Bush, they'll run it on page one. If the story can no longer be twisted, or worse, if it is positive for the Bush White House - complete silence. When they could hide behind the lies; 247 articles. When the truth is fully known; 0 articles. I know it's too much to ask that they retract all 247 pieces of garbage that they published, but not even a little footnote like their little brother the Washington Post ran?

It turns out that nobody "outed" Ms. Plame. In fact, it was her husband's lies that caused all of the bru ha-ha. Read THIS from the Washington Post. Please note how the Post is "reluctant to return to the subject". What? The Post ran more negative articles than the Times did, and now they're suddenly reluctant to run another one now that the truth comes out? Although the Post article, a short five paragraphs, still manages to try to continue with the twisting of this story, it concludes thusly;

"Nevertheless, it now appears that the person most responsible for the end of Ms. Plame's CIA career is Mr. Wilson (ed. Mr. Wilson is Plame's loser husband). Mr. Wilson chose to go public with an explosive charge, claiming -- falsely, as it turned out -- that he had debunked reports of Iraqi uranium-shopping in Niger and that his report had circulated to senior administration officials. He ought to have expected that both those officials and journalists such as Mr. Novak would ask why a retired ambassador would have been sent on such a mission and that the answer would point to his wife. He diverted responsibility from himself and his false charges by claiming that President Bush's closest aides had engaged in an illegal conspiracy. It's unfortunate that so many people took him seriously."

I love the sanctimony of that last part, "it's unfortunate that so many people took him seriously". What? The "so many people" is them. It was the Washington Post itself, along with the NY Times that created this whole thing in the first place by running story after story. And they seem confused by the charges that there exists a "liberal press" in this country. Sheesh!

Here are a few headlines from previous NY Times articles regarding this non-story;

- Times Reporter Free From Jail; She Will Testify (Remember this one? Reporter goes to jail for refusing to testify? Turns out she just wanted her 15 minutes of fame so she could write a book about her trials and tribulations when in fact she should be going to jail for treason based on her published lies)
- Cheney Aide Appears Likely To Be Indicted in Leak Case
- Bush Responds To Questioning Over Leak Case
- White House Is Told to Hand Over Records
- Cheney Reportedly Interviewed In Leak of C.I.A. Officer's Name
- Air Force One Phone Records Are Among Data Sought by Subpoena in C.I.A. Leak Inquiry
- White House Memo; Anxiety Takes Hold of Presidential Aides Caught Up in Inquiry Over Leak
- Cheney's future at stake after leaking of CIA agent's name
- Senator Is Described as a Likely Source of Intelligence Leak
- Ex-C.I.A. Officer and Husband Sue Cheney, Libby and Rove Over Leak

All 10 of these, and all 237 of the other articles were lies. Trumped up and distributed by the world's leading news organization. Remember the news stories and TV clips of Vice President Cheney being put through the ringer over this? All because the press (and the Democrats who were giddy over seeing a senior official brought to his knees) pushed this into the national spotlight.

capt.0c9d7a004c5843c08aee3c0aabc3600a.cheney_visit_nedw103

Now that the truth is finally known publicly, the Times completely and utterly ignores the story. And apparently no one cares. Am I the only person bothered by this? Most people will forget the firestorm created and fueled by newspapers like the NY Times and the Washington Post over this stupid issue (I mean really, does anyone give a rip about Valerie Plame?), but not Elvis Kennedy. I'm calling for the editors of the NY Times and the Washington Post to be charged with treason over their knowingly publishing of false information regarding the C.I.A., the war in Iraq and the dishonest charges against the President of the United States. You may laugh at me but my charges hold more weight and truth than the 500 plus articles on the Plame issue published by these two newspapers.

For you lefties out there, I point you to THIS press release from Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi's office charging the Bush White House with "deficiencies" with regard to protecting national secrets. It highlights just how duplicitous politics can be. Or rather, are.

A final note;

Plame's loser husband made millions by writing a book as you can find HERE (go ahead, be an idiot and buy the book - at least it's on closeout pricing) and by stealing money from lefty organizations hiring him to speak at private functions. I love the title, "Politics of Truth: Inside the Lies that Led to War and Betrayed My Wife's CIA Identity". Turns out that the lies were all his. Dickhead.

dickhead

And the jailed journalist Judith Miller, also a liar, made a bundle too, by signing a book deal and going on the talk circuit as a martyr for freedom. Click HERE if you care. Most notable, Ms. Miller was supportive of the White House and the war in Iraq, and Elvis Kennedy still thinks that she's a creep.