The 5 most influential and/or positive things...

[SoCalSteve]

that have changed your cycling life...

For me, in order from less to most:

5.) Speedplay pedals....lots of float and double sided for easy entry on city streets. I have never had any knee problems since switching.

4.) Learning how to build my own bikes and maintain them....for less than a few hundred dollars I purchased all the tools that I needed (and books) to build and maintain my own small fleet of bikes. The feeling of not having to be beholden on a bike shop mechanic is tremendously liberating.

3.) Team in Training... They had faith in me to certify me and employ me as a professional coach. Being able to do what I love while giving back to a worthy cause is pretty fantastic.

2.) The Internet as it relates to cycling.... This Serotta board, Park Tools, ebay, Road Bike Review are all just a few of the places that I frequent on the Internet. I have bought dozens upon dozens of bike frames, components and accesories on the Internet as well as selling dozens upon dozens of frames, etc. The knowledge gained from this site as well as from Park Tools and other sites has been truly invaluable in my growth as a cyclist.

And, the number one thing that has influenced my cycling world is: Brooks Saddles......I am a big guy, 6' 5" 240 lbs. I tried dozens of saddles before turning to the Brooks. I fought having Brooks saddles on my bikes from a purely aesthetic point of view. But, being able to sit in the saddle for mile upon mile without having discomfort has been the absolute most positive aspect of cycling for me. Rather than riding 5-10 miles, stopping to adjust, feeling numb and just plain ol discomfort, now I can ride for inumerable miles without having to stop and the nubness has virtually disappeared.

Anyway...just thought I'd share. I'd love to hear what everyone has to say.

Steve

[Needs Help]

Brooks Saddles
Which model?

[SoCalSteve]

I love the B17 Champion Special with Ti rails.Have tried others, but always come back to this one.

Steve

[ergott]

Bonking/suffering.

Really clears your mind of anything else.

[1centaur]

I'll agree with Speedplay pedals (better feel, better design and lighter - a real pleasure) and Internet cycling forums (spend WAY too much time in them but they're great for information).

I'll add indexed shifting (maybe because I was a kid and didn't know better but regular shifting was never precise and quick enough for me), lightweight bikes (31 lbs as a teen, 19 pounds getting back into it, 16.6 pounds now - so much nicer at the end of a long day climbing up the last hill), and I guess carbon fiber - lighter and more comfortable, and the future of much lighter wheels and spokes to come.

[vandeda]

Only 1 comes to mind. My friend Jared. Probably the best & most positive influence I've had. Fast & strong rider, but will never leave someone behind. He's always back with the noobs if there are any there. He's always helping, encouraging and having a good time. He's fast & talented, but never serious. And his ideas are as "crazy" as mine (crazy to non-enthusiasts, but we think they're cool. Like having a trailer for the road bike with a bike rack to pull the mtn bike & necessary clothes, and do a tour of mtn bike trails).

Him, and a bunch of teens I rode with on a week long tour with the central NY Youth for Christ a few weeks ago. They again set in stone that cycling is so much more fun when .... well .... when you have fun and not be so serious about it. Fast is cool, but not if it's not fun. Or something like that lol.

Equipement wise .... well ... clipless pedals. That's about it. I love my Electra Deluxe as much as the Centurion fixie as much as the Calfee ... they are all different, but all the same. Nothing stands out on any of them.

Dan

[Cadence230]

Clipless pedals, brake lever/shifters, carbon fiber, internet and synthetic clothing. :)

[93legendti]

At this snapshot in time:

wool base layers
HR monitors
internet
Cinelli Gel bar tape
treadless stems with removable face plates

[bostondrunk]

Rocket7's

[weisan]

What comes to mind, and in no particular order...

~ following the discipline of recovery & rest - higher rebounds, growth spurts
~ doing high rpms work on rollers - improved pedal efficiency
~ taking electrolyte capsules - cramps be gone
~ doing interval training - faster, stronger, longer
~ rotating the hip - generate more power

[Ahneida Ride]

1.) Brooks B67
2.) TA Zephyr Crank
3.) Speed Play Frogs
4.) Kool Stop Salmon Brakes Pads

[rnhood]

1) Shimano DA-10 - can gear shifting be more perfect?
2) Brooks B-17 - a saddle that feels like a saddle.
3) Continental Force/Attack tires - just never have problems.
4) Wool jerseys - why would anyone want to wear plastic?
5) Toyota Sienna van - if there is a better way to carry a bike around I don't know about it.

[Dr. Doofus]

1) custom shoes. thanks to lamson and rocket 7, foot pain free since 1989

2) bob santorelli, didier bertrand, jeff corbett, scott mercer, chris hayes, rich hincapie, chris knetche, spencer leuders, justin spinelli, and every other fast cat who tried their best to teach doof how to ride and train. thanks guys. it wasn't your fault!

3) jerk, too tall, dbrk, e-ritchie, curt goodrich, kirk pacenti, and paul sadoff for straightening out doof's head somewhat, clearing it of american and french nonsense about bikes, and reminding him of what american and french stuff he'd been told was really worth knowing, and teaching him tons of new stuff (and in the next few months, two of these cats will come up with the Doof Bike :banana: )

4) Vitesse Cycle, Outspokin, Bicycle Sport, and College Cycle: doof owes you prayers at sunset daily

5) Karl Storm and his crappy Motebecane for getting doof into this at 14 back in 1982.

[saab2000]

1. Getting my first real racing bike - a Gitane Super Corsa with Spidel/Simplex components and Wolber tubulars in 1984.

2. Going to France in 1988.

3. Staying until Nov. 3, 2003. (with annual trips back to the US)

4. Watching the 1986 World Championship in Colorado Springs and seeing Moreno Argentin beat Charly Mottet in the uphill sprint. Saronni got 3rd. I was numb watching that race, even though it was a very boring race.

5. Getting a "real" job in 1996, forcing me to more or less quit trying to ride at the highest level. I was never more than pack fodder anyway and now I do something cool too.

[1centaur]

"~ rotating the hip - generate more power"

Could you elaborate - rotating the hips forward to sit on the saddle correctly, or focusing on a pedaling action that rotates the hips rather than pushing and pulling?

Thank you.

[Jeff N.]

I feel the same way about the Selle Italia Turbomatic-4 saddle. I'll never use anything else. Jeff N.

[jerk]

things that changed the jerk's cycling life? well let's just count stuff from the last few years otherwise you'd be listening to the jerk tell stupid stories about getting 12th place in a hoelliert kermesse, or how he learned how to ride a bike or how he got a tattoo on his right shoulder of a belgian cop in full riot gear that says "la police vous parle tous les soirs" to protest getting continually harrassed by the police when the doping shi'ite started going down.

1. mrs. jerk. puts up with all this b.s. 80 hour work weeks, riding the bike in the morning and generally keeping the jerk in line despite his insanity.

2. you guys. make the jerk think about the things he thinks he knows and learn more about things he doesn't know.

3. j.s. and m.m.; two guys who are made the jerk ride his bike again.


sorry, but no piece of cycling equipment even comes close to making the list. so here's another list for the materialistic stuff:

1. giordana tenax laser bibs. the best shorts ever.

2. ada wheels. the best cycling product ever

3. pegoretti big leg emma; the best crit/kermesse bike ever.

4. colnago c50; the best all-around bike ever.

honorable mentions: mavic cosmic carbone wheels, dugast tires, pmp cranks and bbs, stolen underground t-shirts.

jerk

[saab2000]

There are also no pieces of equipment which make my list as influential, but there are some highlights of things which stand out as having been very good things to buy.

1. The original Time pedals. Something finally made me switch from clips and straps. These are proper and I still use Times to this day. Now Impacts.

2. Vittoria CX tubulars, now called Veloflex Criteriums.

3. My Grandis. This bike saw me through thick and thin and handles better than any bike I own. Straight as an arrow despite several bad crashes. Hangs tough

4. Zefal HPX pumps, especially the ones which served as my only pumps for months on end in France, Belgium and even a stint in Vero Beach Florida. They just work and never quit.

5. Everything Cinelli, or at least their toe straps, stems and handlebars and cork tape in white.

6. Turbomatic II saddles.

7. Mavic/Spidel/Simplex retrofriction shifters. Best ever. Better even than Campy Retros.

8. Delta brakes. Yes, this is an odd choice. But it is what I got after I swore I needed some good brakes after spending months in the mountains on Modolos, which sucked. The Deltas still grace my Grandis and work well. If only they didn't squeal like a stuck pig. These were the first powerful and reliable stoppers I ever had.

I don't know what else to mention. Equipment just plays such a small role in cycling success and happiness for me. I like the good things for sure. But my best races happened on decidedly mediocre equipment. It really is about the legs and especially the psycho fanatic who rides. When the psycho leaves the cyclist it is time to stop.

[Dekonick]

Belgium

Watching the tour live in person

Florida - first place I did serious long rides on a crappy 10 speed bike made by Takara. I loved cycling then - and more now.

Jean VandenBosch - a Flemish friend (and a retired Brussels firefighter!) who got me interested in cycling. He is almost a father figure to me. Other than my dad, a greater man I do not know.