We’re getting close to cycling season and some friends have asked for advice for anything that can improve their ride. I’m a bit of an odd cyclist because I don’t use mine to commute, but for fitness.
Generally, I do a 60KM ride every second day, weather permitting. I don’t ride in the rain and I don’t ride if the wind is above 18KPH. I pretty much do the same route every ride and I ride alone, competing with my previous times.
The most unusual thing about my rides is that my bike has a single speed. There are no gears to think about, change, or “carry around”. I’ve ridden single speed since 2006 when I paid Marinoni to build me a custom frame based on the geometry of their Pista. Over the years I’ve added to it here and there until settling on my current set up, with a gear ratio of 49x20. My top speed on flat ground is 59.2kph, but I’ve broken 75kph on the downhill. My average speed for my rides is 28kph, putting my rides at just over 2 hours. The first half is usually under an hour and I’m a little more lax on the return.
Here are some of the things I love about my bike and that I wholeheartedly recommend:
Orp
I backed the Orp as a Kickstarter many, many years ago. It’s a combination horn, bell, and light, and it has saved my ass countless times. For a while, I even sold them at my store. Unfortunately, due to supply-chain issues during Covid, the company decided to shut down. However, if you ever see one on eBay, I highly suggest you pick it up. Mine’s pink, which matches my bike frame, but they came in a variety of colors, including glow in the dark.
Cyclemeter
Cyclemeter is an app that turns your phone into a cycling computer. It’ll track your speed, laps/splits, and other factors along your ride. It’s all saved in your history and you’re able to view it in-app or online and even share it with others. You can see some of the stuff it tracks in this example. That’s me heading to Watersedge Park near Oakville — one half of my workout. You can use the drop down on the right side to view the different types of data.
When using the actual app, your phone screen will be divided into 10 sections, each displaying a different bit of data. Most important to me are the bits shown below:
You decide what occupies each of the sections (I’ve only enabled 6 of them). You then mount your phone onto your bike so that the information is immediately available.
Cyclemeter is available for iPhone and Android. The basic features are free but there’s an Elite version with more functionality. I don’t recall the price except that it was very reasonable.
Peak Design Phone Case and Mount
There are a few options on the market for securely attaching your phone to your bike. I’ve gone with Peak Design. Here’s an explanation of their mount and mounting system:
Selle Anatomica Saddle
I love my bike’s seat. It looks like it’ll be uncomfortable, but I promise you it isn’t. It’s made by Selle Anatomica. Mine’s white and the model is Titanico, which they no longer make. It has been on my bike for almost 18 years and is still going strong. There are people saying they last about 6000KM. Mine has done more than 30000KM and I’ll cry when it eventually dies.
Phil Wood Components
I have a Phil Wood Bottom Bracket and High Flange Track Hubs in white, which I don’t think they make anymore. Phil makes great stuff. Again, been running strong since 2006.
White Industries Double Freewheel
Though my bike is single speed, my White Industries Double Freewheel has two options: 20 or 22 teeth. I can manually move the chain to adjust the ride. If I break 50 minutes on the way out during my workout, I may swap it out for a 17/19 or a 16/18, which would make my ride significantly harder. However, it took me more than two years to break the one-hour mark so it’s unlikely I’ll ever get it down to 50 mins. My current fastest time is 57’23”. That said, my frame is rather steep and short and a smaller freewheel places the rear wheel at the end of the stays. I would have to adjust the chain length, which I hate doing. This freewheel has also been on this bike since day one. Smooth as the day I bought it.
Chris King Headset
Chris King makes great headsets. Guaranteed for a lifetime and I plan on putting that to the test.
Plume Mudguard
Another no-longer-manufactured item, the Plume Mudguard recoils when not in use. It’s one of countless great products I’ve gotten from Kickstarter — as I did the Orp, above. This thing is so great that I reached out to the company a few years ago to see if they had any dead stock that I could by to resell at Volver. Never heard back. I think it was around $50.
Upcoming
Speaking of Kickstarter, I’m currently backing two bike-related campaigns. I can’t attest to the quality as I don’t have them yet, but they certainly look promising.
The Zilch Pump
I‘m pretty picky about the amount of air in my tires and re-up them once or twice a week depending on how far I’ve ridden. However, I hate using traditional pumps. I’m hoping the Zilch Pump Head lives up to its promise:
If this is something that appeals to you, it’s on Kickstarter until early April.
The Saddlepod
I’m not as excited about this one as I am the Zilch Pump, but I’m hoping that this’ll be out of the way enough that I can use it and my Plume simultaneously, something I haven’t been able to do with other saddle bags.