The Bike I'll Ride

In August 2009, I was lucky enough to find a new bike, replacing my workhorse, the Specialized Sequoia. I found my new bike on sale at Chainwheel Drive. It's a 2006 model that for some reason they couldn't sell. I got it at about 50% off retail so I was very happy. I kept my Sequoia as a rainy day bike and for visitors to ride. In 2010, Margie and I helped Michelle and Brandon move out to Seattle and I took my trusty Sequoia to Poulsbo, WA where it is today. So my training is now on the Sequoia while in Pouslbo and on my Sworks when we go back to Florida. The Sworks is about 10 pounds lighter than the Sequoia which should help in the hills (more on that later).


On my last trip back to Florida last week I began preparations for the long-awaited ride across America. This included getting my Sworks into shape for the trip. As previously mentioned in my reflections on the RedSpoke ride, one of my main concerns was being able to grind up the expected hills in reasonable fashion so as to not hold up any of the lighter riders. Hill climbing is all about Power to Weight. It's just more difficult to climb the more you weigh. So I'm now down to about 260 but that's still a lot to pull up a hill. In order to get my Sworks prepared I looked at how to improve the gearing ratios to make it a better hill climbing bike. One does this by changing the number of teeth on the two front chain rings and the number of teeth on the 10-speed rear cassette. On the front I had a 53-39 double, which I purchased for the flat Florida roads. On the back I had the original 10-speed cassette 12-27. This set-up worked great for Florida but could prove difficult for hillier areas. The solution was a 50-34 on the front and a new 11-28 on the back. This would give me almost the same speed on the flats and a 20% improvement on the climbs. In addition, I had a major tune-up done and all the cables and break pads checked and replaced if needed, added a new chain and new tubes and puncture resistance Armadillo tires. I also obtained some new 23/25 tires which are just a little bit wider than the normal 23mm tires. If I need these for gravel I'll be prepared.


I also bought a set of SPD pedals to match the new Shimano biking sandals I bought in Poulsbo. On one of my Poulsbo training rides I ran into a biker, Bill Abbey and his wife, at a coffee stop. Turns out they have a planned self-supported ride following the Lewis and Clark route from St Louis to Seattle starting on April 19. He recommended the sandals as a nice way to go when the weather is good or even when it's raining since they dry quickly. He says you just put on some wool socks (like those I have from Peru) if it's too cold or rainy. Anyway I'll probably start out with my regular biking shoes and cleats but am prepared to switch to sandals when ready.


The Chainwheel Drive bike shop recommended I take extra wheels in case a spoke breaks. Turns out on my last training ride before I took my bike in for the tune-up I broke a spoke (at 40 miles into the ride). I haven't broken a spoke since 2006 when I had my original Sequoia wheels replaced with Velocity rims. On the Sworks, never. But they said wheels like the ones I have on my Sworks (light, fewer spokes) need to be replaced every three to five years. Guess I could be living on the edge since my bike has the original 2006 rims. I'll probably take an extra front wheel (off Brett's Florida bike) with me just in case. Will just have to get the spoke replaced if it's on the back wheel.