The Tools
I figured I would post a piece on what equipment I would be using this summer. For most people this may be boring but I know some people may be interested. I will be riding a LeMond Versailles 2006. In my opinion this bike is the perfect bike for this trip. It Features a half carbon half steel frame. Steel is well known in the cycling community, especially among older riders, for its superior ability at offering a Cadillac soft ride while maintaining stiffness along joints. Carbon
on the other hand is a relatively new material for manufacturing bikes. Its woven composite is seen as the neosolution to the ever present weight to strength dilemma. Carbon is also praised for its ability to damper vibrations within its woven material. The way the Versailles was designed it offers the best of both worlds with a steel spine(lower frame) and a carbon cockpit(upper frame). I sure hope that it will help to dampen the constant daily vibrations of the road over the 70+ days of cycling. I knew when I was selecting equipment I had to be aware of three things: weight, comfort, and cost. I knew that I wanted my bike to weight the smallest amount possible in order to increase my efficiency and conserve energy. However in the world of cycling this weight conservation often comes at the sacrifice of comfort due to the flooded cycle racing market. Racers often are not riding long distances so they are much more willing to buy a super light component that is not comfortable simply because they will not be riding it long. In my case though this is not that case at all, I will be in my saddle for long periods of time and for many days at a time. The most important things for a long distance cyclist is the equipment at which he or she forms a contact point with the bike: handlebar/hands, saddle/butt, and pedals/feet. For the first of these I will be using gloves on my hands and a special gel wrap on my handlebars to reduce vibrations into my upper body. As for the seat I will using the stock seat that comes on Trek and LeMond bikes. This contact point will have a lot
of help from the carbon fiber in the frame, the carbon seat post and the padding in my shorts. As for my pedals and feet I decided that this was one of the most important pieces. Choosing the wrong pedals could cause severe knee pain just as the wrong shoes could cause foot pain. I chose the Speedplay x-series pedals because of the range of motion they offered. These pedals offer
more float than any other pedal/cleat on the market. For shoes I chose a pair from Specialized for its pediatric design and chromed carbon sole. Another big benefit of these shoes is its boa ratchet system that can tighten the entire shoe with a single twist of its dial. Being on the road day after day for this many miles will certainly take a tole on my body but this equipment will hopefully make things a little easier.
