I got the last piece to one of my new puzzles today so I can let Dicky in on the phear fjear shall fear. Hodge built me up a set of supa-pimp race wheels. "meh" is what I can hear Dicky saying, but he's not really paying attention yet what with all his limited brain power going towards fashionable fanny packs. The wheels have centerlock hubs so I've been waiting on an adapter to hold my 6-bolt rotor onto the front. I tested the rear out Tuesday. It's way light, stiff like I like it, and held up to my beatings in the rocks with nary a whimper. With the old heavy front wheel still employed, I felt like I was riding a loaded wheel barrel all night just from the extreme weight differences in wheels. To use one of Ben's phrases, I was "mule kicking" every hop. The front gets finished up and installed tonight. Expect some hilarity at the race Sunday as I'm sure I'll be catching way more air than I'm used to. Oh, and AMAZING acceleration too. Yup, I have just been enabled to get in the way EVEN faster, watch out for the "Hodge turn" at the start.
I've been a devout stout wheel believer since bending my first light weight rim on it's first ride out in Tsali, where there isn't anything to hit that should even bend a rim. Not taco, not fold, but bent the side down. I fixed it with some pliers and rode it for another year and a half, but the braking surface was hosed and any big bump would re-bend the rim. I ride a 27lbs rigid SS. I am at the furthest end you can be on from a weight weenie like Senior Dickster. I make Ivory build me heavy duty bomb-proof wheels for all my rides. But now, thanks to Hodge, I have a set of super light, super stiff, super strong, hand built race wheels. I've lost 4lbs off the bike in that single swap. 4lbs of rotational weight. Oh yeah, baby, I'll be going nowhere even faster now!
1800 grams. I don't even know what that means but that's what I got in wheel weight now. That's the scary part, the curmudgeonly anti-weight weenie me has been told things like "gram" this and "less rotational" that for so long without me batting an eye, but now I'm starting to get it. I felt so spun out in the flats and while climbing on 34x17 Tuesday that I'm tempted to toss a 16t cog on the rear for Sunday's race. I can feel it now, the weight weenie force is strong. I was even looking at a titanium SS frame this morning, thinking maybe throw a carbon fork on there, carbon bar, carbon Noir crank, some ti pedals, get it down under 19lbs... hmmm.... Yeah don't just fear the massive increase in my speed, fear my potential to fall into weight weenieness. Phear charts of weights and measures, power outputs, gain ratios, calculations, and advanced calculus with some diffEQ thrown in for good measure overtaking the blog. Yep, don't just fear the speed.
Continuing going against the grain of my fabric, I splurged and got a second set of rubber and some used brakes so all I have to do is swap wheels and not mess with changing rotors and tires between rims. Just so you kids don't forget the wheels will remind you, there's a new Speed King baby (with protection of course).Stay tuned for updates, if I can't break these wheels then they will be guaranteed to last someone with real skills many seasons. Call Hodge at the shop and order up a set for someone you love or show up to SSUSA/DSG and try to win yourself a pair. All I know is after lugging my old wheels around the course last Saturday I'll be glad to be rocking weight weenie style at the race.
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