Rolf Prima Vigor Wheelset

This wheelmaker has managed to stay under the radar, despite (or maybe as a result of...?) an early association with Trek.

I must have had these wheels for about 15 years.

Sometime in the late '90s I had bought myself a fairly basic Trek as a get-around-town bike while working in Singapore. The wheels that came with it were these funky-looking-disco-dancer wheels that were actually remarkable effective - with this paired-spoking idea which seemed to make them pretty solid.

The next serious bike I bought, I went looking for these Rolf things. They weren't hard to find at the time, though their association with Trek had already evaporated. The set I found was the Vigor model. The specs were impressive.

I really loved these wheels. My friends loved these wheels. They defied logic in the way that they worked: an aluminium wheelset with a reasonably deep rim (33mm) that flared outward slightly on the spoke side, that was nicely aero and extremely light (1540g).

They have had some pretty bad press over the years, in fact I'm hard-pressed to find any review with anything positive to say about them. Very strange. I don't think they'd suit the heaviest rider, but then I'm not exactly the lightest, and I've never had an issue with them.

The paired spokes are supposed to give extra rigidity to the wheels, but most of the bad reviews focus on the fact that the spokes break, and that once a paired spoke breaks it puts the whole wheel so out-of-true that it's unrideable. Firstly I would say that any wheel that has a low spoke count is probably unrideable once a spoke has gone, and secondly: the only time I had to replace spokes was after an accident where someone rode over the back wheel.

I had stopped riding them actually since that accident. The back wheel came out of it with a slight dent in the rim which makes it ever-so-slightly-out-of-true. However, they still work, and I've been reviewing my ideas on wheels recently, so I got them out again for my ride through Fraser's Hill and Gohtong Jaya this past weekend. Lots of ascending and descending (over 3000m of elevation gain in 200km), and these were always the lightest and most fast-rolling wheels in my collection.

They were awesome! There's this short stretch of fast downhill that I use to test the speed of wheels. It's around 1km long with a couple of fast curves and reaches 11% near the bottom. I test the wheels by just freewheeling from the top and seeing what speed I can hit at the point just before I have to brake. I hit 68.9kph with these wheels, which beats my previous recorded best of 66.9 with the Fulcrums or 64.4 with the Fulcrum front and the 32-spoke powertap on the back.

So they roll like a dream - zero mechanical drag and very aero to boot. In fact on some descents I find myself braking just because they feel too fast - I'm not used to it. Braking too is way better than I'm used to, and once again I'll need to ride them for a while before I get the braking a bit smoother.

Uphill they are of course very light and from what I can tell they also seem very stiff. The second day up to Gohtong Jaya involves a lot of grinding up long steep sections and I'm out of the saddle a lot. These wheels seem to be taking whatever I crank into them with little sign of any flex.

I will probably have to retire these wheels completely soon. The braking surfaces are getting a little too worn-looking, but considering the amount of life these have seen, it's hardly surprising. What this rediscovery has shown me however, is that it is possible to get a pair of wheeks that are: A) light, B) stiff, C) aero, D) easy to stop, and E) inexpensive (they used to cost around US$800).

You have to remember we're talking about a 15-year-old model of these wheels, so I'm sure the new version has improved on what these can do. I've checked out the Rolf Prima website for specs on the latest version and they now have some added features including ceramic bearings, a 22mm rim width, and they now weigh in at merely 1450g a set! At US$1299 a pair I'd say they were worth some serious consideration.

Watch this space though, as I've come up with this great idea for testing wheelsets and publishing the information. This is part of my quest for the perfect all-rounder wheelset.

More to come!

Road Test - Wheels

Training By Numbers 1: Powertap G3 and Garmin Edge 500

This is to be part of a series where I expound upon the merits of training by power measurement, and where I investigate and review a few options.

By now I think it should be obvious to most sport cyclists, but just in case: if you aren't training with a power meter by now, get one. It's the difference between shooting in the dark and having the lights on. Here's how it works.

If you want to improve as a cyclist, you need to train to be able to produce more power. Outside of race situations, you don't have to care about how fast you're going, all you need to concern yourself with is that your power is increasing through your training, for which you test yourself every few weeks. You can train for power over intervals of any duration in order to improve for the specific demands of your chosen challenge. If you're going to race up hills you also need to be very concerned with your power-to-weight ratio.

What you have in a power meter is completely specific, quantifiable information that tells you exactly where you are in relation to your goals, to each other, and also - somewhat harder to swallow - to the pros. It takes a specific amount of power to move a rider of X weight over course Y within a selected time. When I'm on my bike I care about only 3 numbers: my power output in watts, my heart rate, and my cadence. If I'm producing more power for the same heart rate, I'm improving. I can try out different positions, cadences, wheels, sport drinks, haircuts and whatever else I think that might affect my ability to produce power and transfer it to forward motion, thereby refining all of these things.

In training, I can sustain a set power for as long as possible and work on increasing the duration, or I can work on increasing the power output for a particular interval. I can collect data and see what my average power output is for a particular climb or route. No coach will work with you unless you have a powermeter. It is the number 1 training tool after your bike.

I got myself my first powermeter - a Powertap SL+ - about 2 years back. If you're not too familiar with the terrain, the Powertap system bases it's measurement of power on that which is delivered to the rear hub.  It's not the top of the powermeter food chain, but it's the most affordable and regarded by most as accurate and reliable enough - used by many pro teams so it definitely works.

I initially had a few problems with the SL+ and after a couple of pit stops, Cyclops (who make the Powertap) replaced the faulty unit with the brand new G3 model. Already an encouraging recommendation for the product.

Your power meter needs a head unit which displays and stores the data. Most producers of power meters also produce a head unit, but thanks to an agreement on a single interconnectivity protocol called ANT+, any head unit will work with any power meter. Very useful since I'm very attached to my Garmin Edge 500

The Edge 500 is arguably the greatest little gadget a cyclist can have. You no longer need magnets on your spokes and odd little gadgets taped to your forks - it measures speed, distance, position, altitude, gradient (rather obviously) by GPS. It also does heart rate (via a transmitter strap), cadence (using the powertap or a sensor), and pretty much any info a cyclist might need. If you need maps, you go for something higher in the Edge range such as the 810.

Coupled with a power meter it will give you actual power, or averages over a series of durations. It gives you average lap power for your current lap which is a great and vital function for keeping intervals at the right intensity, or maintaining a set average power output on a hill climb for instance. Plus you upload it all to the Garmin Connect website and analyse everything you've done to your heart's content.

So back to the meter itself.

My choice was to get a 32-spoke version built onto a standard training wheel. It's mainly a training tool after all, and I trust the strength and durability of the standard wheel rather than a low-spoke-count lightweight that might have some flex. I might review that decision were I to start again. Once you start training with an indicator of your power output, it's hard to ride without it. I've ended up using it in races - that after all is the place where you really test yourself. In retrospect, a better choice might have been to get a 20-spoker and build it onto a durable but light racing rim. Moot point now.

Being the first power meter that I've used, I'd have to say that it was the expected metamorphosis in my training life. I have rarely ridden without it since. There is an issue of reliability there, as the readings can fluctuate with temperature changes, and I do seem to find myself "calibrating" - resetting the unit to zero - a couple of times during rides where I'm keen to get acurate figures. The batteries don't seem to last very long, and there's no indicator other than extremely dodgy readings to tell you that the batteries are going. The battery is easily replaceable though (easier than the old models).

The main drawback with using the hub-based power meter, is that you never get to use your rear wheels. I suppose it's saved me some money over the couple of years, since there's little point in looking at new wheelsets. However, the adavntage is that you can use the same power meter on all your road bikes - this is a big advantage to me as I live in 2 cities, keep bikes in both, and am constantly travelling between each with only a wheel to carry. Horses for courses.

http://www.cyclingpowerlab.com/PowerMeterReviews.aspx
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/accessories/gadgets/gps-devices/product/review-garmin-edge-500-37460
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2009/12/garmin-edge-500-in-depth-review.html
http://www.cycleops.com/en/products/power-meters/hubs/powertap-g3-hub.html
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2011/02/cycleops-joule-and-powertap-wheelset-in.html

Fulcrum Racing 3 Wheelset

I've had these wheels for around 7 years now. Bought them to go with my Felt F3 (which is another love story I'll write about elsewhere), and haven't cared to ride much else since - especially in the hilly rides which make up 100% of my riding when in Malaysia.

Not the top of the Fulcrum range, and already getting long in the tooth, I can't find anything that would replace them in my life...except maybe another pair. Good news since they are relatively inexpensive.

I love these wheels. They are super strong and, at just over 1.5kg, reasonably light. For me there has to be a trade-off between these 2 factors. I'm suspicious of wheels where the manufacturer puts a rider weight limit, Not that I'm particularly heavy, just that how can a wheel that won't take a 90kg guy pretend to be able to take the kind of torque anyone will put into it going up a 15% climb without flexing? Or from braking hard coming down the same hill? I'm still open to persuasion but please show me the wheelset lighter than this one that does what this one does.

They roll better than any other wheel I've ridden - by far. The sweet sound of a Campag freewheel buzzes away on fast descents that feel like I'm on rails - even on a relatively twitchy frame. I have never had to true them once, nor replace the bearings - which I've put a fair amount of mileage into.

I have never had a wheelset that plummets downhill with such gusto. I'm not sure what it is that does it. They say that mechanical drag is second only to aero drag when it comes to impeding speed - well these must have way less mechanical drag than most other wheels because they're not very aero. If I use the front one with my powertap 32-spoke wheel, it feels good and stable, but if I use both...woohoo!....literally on another level!

I've talked to several real wheel-geeks about these wheels and apparently the balance of weight rim-to-hub is perfect, which might help explain why they feel so good. I am also informed that they outshine all other wheels in the Fulcrum range for the above reason - but I haven't ridden the others so can't comment.

Of course I'm always looking around for something that can do it all: light, aero, stable, bomb-proof, great braking surface, but so far I haven't found anything that convinces me. The only thing these wheels lack is the aero aspect and perhaps a few grams knocked off somehow. Aero usually means carbon, which usually means problems in braking: reduced effectivity and/or overheating. Lighter usually means weaker.

Bottom line for climbing wheels for me is how confident I am in the fast and/or technical descents. With this wheel I can go full-gas down the scariest slopes, fully confident that they won't give out on me, and that I can control the speed if needed. For that I'll happily sacrifice a bit of free-aero-speed and a handicap of a gram or 2 in the ascent.

Road Test - Wheels

Rough Ride by Paul Kimmage

Great book!

What makes this book stand out for me from all the other behind-the-scenes books on life in the peloton is mostly Kimmage's account of own inner turmoil and the completely frank and honest way that he relates his story. Nowhere else in the latest crop of confessions did I get such a clear presentation of the real options facing a professional bike racer, and the stark reality of the pressure on riders to come up with results or lose their job.

He talks of his own tough choices in a completely open way, and of his disillusionment and a growing frustration with the sport and it's management. From starry-eyed newcomer to jaded, battle weary domestique, we are spared no detail in the downward spiral. But what comes out of the pages more than anything else is a deep love for the sport and a yearning for the values he first discovered through his father as a boy.

Kimmage talks of the victims with great compassion. He sees much of the self destructive behaviour as a result of the choices made and the gradual erosion of self-respect. His scathing dismissal of the villains in his story is matched by the obvious affection he holds for both those who stood fast and those who crumbled - they all became victims in the end - and his sense of loss for the friendships that were cut short by his choice to tell the whole story.

This is the book that upset the apple-cart when it was first published, because the openness with which he talked of the use of drugs in the sport was considered a breach of the code of silence. The book turned the whole cycling world, including many of his closest friends against him.

In the recent edition I have, the last chapters are written years after the book was first published and talk about the books effect on the cycling world, and how it turned first it's fury towards him, and then it's back on him. These last chapters are now an essential part of the story since they document his journey back to a fragile but tangible belief in the sport's potential salvation.

But the best recommendation, as with all good books, is that I didn't want it to end.