Section head text.
It’s a hard hitting topic today. White handlebar tape. I usually go for the black tape as it doesn’t show dirt. I suppose if I had a mechanic changing my tape everyday, I might opt for white, but If I were t have white tape on my bike, that white tape would look like used toilet paper in no time. How do local guys pull the white tape off? Do they have to wait for Memorial Day to put it on?
<img src=”http://www.velocitynation.com/pictures/image/fing.jpg”>
I dunno, I don’t see anything suspicious there…
I’m rocking the chrome bar tape right now. Not silver, chrome. To match my chrome shoes. Guys ride past and say “nice bar tape.” More aggressive guys ride past and say “nice bar tape…and legs.” Guys who take themselves too seriously say “that looks ridiculous. isn’t it slick?”
Anyhow…I came here looking for Tour De Schmalz…where the hell do I click? Thank you
Real men spell it Forrest
She’s not my special lady friend. I’m just helping her conceive.
White bar tape is for the team leader, thats why all the badass pros just happened to have white bar tape. Ride whatever you like, it doesn’t matter, y’all still blow.
Forrest: JK is a DB. Make no mistake about it.
Much appreciated! Always look forward to my trips to NYC and to havin’ you guys down to our flat, fast,long-ish,and slightly boring road races.And let’s keep the mindless drivel coming!
My heartfelt apologies, Capt, any Beacon blueberry-picker or Pro Pedals piney is our country brother from another mother. Drop a line on nyvelocity before you guys do the 2am migration next time, and we’ll see if we can find you some places to crash the night before instead.
Is that what this is? Hipster Fixie riders who discovered riding 5 years ago arguing with corporate guys who have been riding 3 times as long but make more money so they must be a-holes. Abnoxious hipsters can be as bad as d-bag bankers. Dont kid yourself…
Is all that this site produces. Besides the nice pics by Marco and the interviews, there is nothing worth reading on this site. What a joke!
So dont read the ‘argument’ threads and save yourself some time. We dont need you anyway, Mr Serious! Not like its required reading.
Fitchburg TT results:
http://www.longsjo.com/results.php?raceid=0c2961544577d951a252700e93c225fc&year=2007
Appreciate you giving me a break, I’m not totally plugged in to the NYC scene(kind of a peripheral observer, although we do get up to Prospect 10-12 times a year).But I take offense to the “electricity” comments. We’ve been “on grid” for almost eight years now and my wife (sister) says we’ll have full running water by the end of the summer.
Honey,
I just got in touch with Raoul Felder. (What’s wrong with lawyers???)
Use that ebay money to pay for your side of the proceedings. Happy birthday.
Don’t ever say Tri-Guy isn’t intense. Kona Awaits, chumps.
-TGOG
Of course!
Lawyers need spell check and must concentrate on sentence structure to make any sense.
Not only are you guys losers, but you’re idiots as well.
You made my point for me, Forrest G.
White collar losers are souring this one time exciting/underground/DIY sport.
http://www.penmachine.com/musicpages/greatestphoto.html
First, Forest G is part of my real name. Second, I don’t use spell check or waste time with my sentence structure on this site so yes the spelling and thought pattern is weak. Third, you are right, I love my team, BMX States was a highlight of my racing career because back then nothing mattered but having fun and riding your bike. Fourth, I am a Cat 4 but have only been racing road since March and race Expert Mtn Bike. I am sorry I spoke, just my opinion on cyclists and that not all corporate guys who race are d-bags – just read the article on King….
Schmalz shot JFK, as you can see clearly from the grainy shot above, Schmalz was the second shooter on the grassy knoll. We’ve finally solved it!
Just a random observation, is that guy in the middle of the picture on the cover page ( where it says “NY Velocity”) in the blue helmet giving somebody the finger in the middle of a sprint?
classy yet mighty!
dont you bitches have sponsors?
I get all my shit half price andI jsut started racing in march.
that schmalz giving the finger?
here are a few simple tricks…
1. ride with no hands…
2. “employees must wash hands before…”
3.stay away form creasy stuff, oh yeaaaah, that’s right, you knew that one already…
I’m pointing out road hazards – very sportsmanlike…
If you really don
So, to recap, Forest G is a wanker lawyer and proud of it even though his writing and spelling fluidity is clearly suspect, has been racing for 22 years but hasnt moved beyond Cat4 and the career highlight seems to have been a key win at age 10 (insert goofy BMX-padded skeletal frame of little boy here), loves the diversity of his team (but not proud enough to state its name), and rides a nice bike but wants us all to know it didnt cost too much so hes cool even though he makes more money than us. So go hug a lawyer. They are just people too!
Wow.
I just noticed for the first time that in one of the banner photos showing a finish at the Floyd, there’s an ML guy giving someone the finger. That’s awesome. Can’t believe I haven’t noticed yet. What a DB.
does anyone know where i can get ceramic headset bearings? thanks!
I thought you told me you got that bike from your sponsor for free and it wasn’t worth that much…I might just put on ebay and buy myself that birthday gift you promised.
Nihilists? Say what you will about National Socialism, Dude, at least it’s an ethos.
Please don’t make the mistake of thinking anyone who works in corporate america and races a carbon bike is a poser/d-bag bringing down our great sport. I may get abused for this but here goes – I am a 31 year old lawyer (this job allows me to pay the bills and support my bike habit) but I would give it up in a second for one year in Europe on the ProTour making the min salary. I have been racing bikes since I was 5. When I was 10 I got 2nd in the NYS Expert BMX Category Age group Champs. Since then I have been basically riding/racing for 22 years (BMX, MTN, Road and Cross). I am an an above average Cat 4 (hopefully a Cat 3 next year) and I could give a shit what you ride and what you do for a living. My team is made up of messengers, bike shop managers, lawyers and salesman (some, I am not sure what they do) and we all love to ride and race regardless of age, profession or income, thats why are team is tight. So I guess what I am rambling about is that just because a guy or gal makes more money and has a white collar job does not make them any less of a cyclist then the 20 something hipster from Brooklyn or shop mechanic that got into cycling 5 years ago. Oh, and I have a nice bike but nothing that turns heads at races. For TTs I run aero bars on my road bike and a TT Helmet – no $6k rig for 3 races a year. Anyone regardless of profession, who trains as hard as most of us and gets up at 4am to go to a small time race to finish in the pack all deserve the same respect. Just my thoughts…
Don’t forget the Nihilists, that is, if we gave a shit.
The guys who drop serious coin on bikes and ride CP at 15mph are the reason we are all now able to get a sweet ride for $3k
I see a whole West Side Story for 2007 developing here. Its the Bankers vs the Hipsters vs the Rastas vs the Freelancers/artists. We can all meet up in some ally, pretend we are about to fight with knives, then break out into song about how much we all love riding bikes! Financiers or artists – we are all basically geeks on bikes. Some just have higher paying jobs…and the cool ones dont give a shit what job the other guy has…or what kind of bike he rides.
Clubber aint no financier (cant even spell it). I ride cause I love it and buy bikes cause I find them beautiful, fun and a release. I train harder then most d-bags on two wheels in the Metro area and have the legs to prove is. So to the guy who called me out, better hope Clubber dont see you on the road or I gonna open up the can. And I aint talking about a can of Redbull. One last thing, dont hate on Clubber for havin my priorities in order and holden down a good job.
last post written with a pinch of snark
wow…who knew a thread about bar tape would turn into this…oh wait, it’s got to be like the kevin bacon game. how many posts before the thread turns to how nyvelocity brings out the worst in people and it’s nyvelocity’s fault and the owners of the site should hang themselves and…
are you happy, schmalz? now everyone hates each other and it’s all your fault
anyway…given the cramped quarters in the city i’m surprised no one has likened bikes to art since 90% of the people on this site probably have their bikes prominently displayed on a wall rack in their living room, or bedroom. so why not have something that has a bit of an artistic quality to it…that’s why it’s italian steel with a sweet paint job (and pegs) for me.
the real question should be where’s the money going? A 5,000.00 bike should have a trick set of carbon wheels which will help in terms of aerodynamics and if your not a bone head a choose crappy wheels it should also shed weight. Both will make you faster. A seven thousand dollar bike should have power, which when combined with good training will make you stronger. In the end, anyone spending that kind of loot (being able to afford it or not) should yield better results than without it, cut and dry. Now those without the bankers deep pockets, one can buy that stuff used, spend 5k max and still get the same advantages. Just go out and race!
Cat 4s and 5s pay the bills for the rest of us, they have the largest amount of participants by far…
nice snipe. i’d rather race with financiers than idiot hipsters on brakeless fixies going 13mph
Remember overweight to us looks downright anorexic to the rest of the world.
We are not talking new bikes vs old. We are talking $2k vs $5k new bikes. Of course a $2k bike today will ride nicer then an old 1990 Cannondale. Buy a new bike if you can just be careful not to fall into the everthing must be campy record trap. By the way – I have over $8k in bikes but they have been bought with time. I make a good income but put a home and retirement above a gucci bike. So when you are all still working at 50 because you spent your bonuses and savings on bikes, I will be riding with the wind at my back and sun on my face… Later chumps.
black is beautiful.
The chinaman is not the issue, Dude.
That post by clubber lang has got to be the lamest of the year.
Dude, get a fucking clue.
This sport used to be so much more fun when it wasn’t overun by doucebag finance guys.
The sport is overrun w/ overweight cat 4’s and 5’s w/ carbon bikes. They work boring finance jobs and snipe at each other all day to pass the time.
I’m sick of it.
My Cevelo P3 is 20K and I had the frame hand signed by Cancellera in leaf gold ink. I spent my months bonus on it, but what the hell? If you can’t afford it too bad. I live fast & go fast. Time to go shave my armpits and rock out 19mph in the Park. L8TR Chumps.
-TGOG
I rode a $2500 bike today, it felt better than my 3 year old bike that was more or less top of the line at that time. I don’t know if it’s because mine has a million miles on it, or if new stuff is better. Probably still wouldn’t make a damn bit of difference in a race but if I had some extra $$$ i’d buy a new bike anyway.
So you have over $8k in bike gear but you spell like an eight year old.
You work in finance, right?
i don’t have an $8k bike, but i do sometimes wonder if the sport of cycling would be more competitive if more than 2% of the population could afford to try it.
While the difference between 7K bike and a 3K bike is negligible, maybe even non-existent, I see a psychological edge. If you love the bike, you want to ride it more. One is more inclined to not blow off a 5am workout if they can’t wait to get on the bike. Doesn’t apply to everyone but I do sense it with some riders.
It does have somthing to do with Cycling because in cycling those without the means buy the unnecessary crap. You dont see guys renting studios in queens and bronx driving $75k cars (ussually) but you often see down and out racers spend every last penny on crap that gives them no edge on the course but simply feeds into the tech craze. Dont get me wrong, my rig cost about $5k and I have a back-up bike that cost about $3k plus am building an new cross bike.
Finally, comparing a $2-$3k vs. a $5k-$7k race bike performance to a farrari on a race course is pretty lame.
anyone who is not a professional race car driver on a closed track cannot fully make use of nor appreciate the finer points of a 700HP ferrari. but rich stockbrokers buy them to get stuck in traffic. buying unnecessary equipment is a cycling-specific issue, nor is it an issue at all. it’s just the way our commercial economy works. people with means buy expensive things they don’t need.
my buddy has a bean bag “skiball” set that we play in his apt. it has three holes with differing point values on each plywood stand. absolute blast for about 2 games.. and the third is OK. i wouldn’t suggest the fourth game, it’s like old bar tape – it works but really isn’t good.
Until I started riding in NYC/WC I never realized just how crazy or brainwashed the metro cyclist are. Upstate, Cannondales, Giants, Treks and Specialized rule (all stock builds). You rarely see tubulars such as Zipps and carbon is not common. I rode a carbon aluminum Orbea and it was viewed as Gucci. I guess what I am getting at is the cycle tech craze is at its worst in NYC and Westchester. On Gimbels you see fat old guys riding Boras and the racers on a budge riding Mavic SLS. Its crazy. There is no reason anyone who is not sponsored should buy Record over Chorus or Dura over Ultegra. We are all brainwashed or just love pissing money away. I love this sport!
Exactly – take any pro model bike, add in the next level or two down since weight diffs are negligible, then add any of the top 3 component groups (same thing…), and you cover most bikes on the road worth anything over $2k. None will decide the race, so talking equipment in so 2004 before all the OEMs figured out how to make decent carbon frames etc. Its all nuances for geeks now, and the focus is aesthetics since they all “work” just fine.
White Tape has a long history in pro racing because in the B/W photo’s in newspapers, black tape would disapper against the traditional black shorts. Making for a strange photo. In the 80’s Benotto’s Cello (plastic tape) became the rage to replace the cloth tape that got dirty in one day.
That’s what you call playing corn hole?
My version is very, very different.
i feel the same as Chris M does. as long as the bike fits and works properly, then it’s pretty much a non-factor in races. i might even drop down to the 105 group one of these days. GASP!
Pros dont talk about the equipment because every team is riding the best. Look at the Pro Tour – worst case you are riding a Tarmac and if you are lucky you are on a Ridley, Scott Addict, BMC, Nago, Pina, or if you are really lucky on a Canyon with Lightweights. Not bad. I would take the gear of any pro team in a heart beat.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118299527491351006.html?mod=hps_us_pageone
I think they were Lemonds, and they taped over the D’s.
may not talk about it in interviews but you can be sure they think about it (and possibly talk amongst themselves)…they’re european for gods sake!
…plus it’s pro as shit
Don’t speak about equipment – ever. Because it could come back to bite them in the butt. But I read an interview with Peter Van Petegem where he blasted the bikes and tires they used at Mercury.
The more I ride and race the more I appreciate the value of the engine over the equipment, and the less I care about tricky bike crap. As long as the bike doesnt creak or squeek too loud and doesnt weigh far more than others out there, Im happy to ride it into the ground – frayed bar tape and all. Going on 2 years on my Orbea and plan to stick with it till it explodes. Too much focus on bike parts is starting to sound like a rec riders obsession. I gather real pros dont give a damn anyway about what they ride – they take whatever is free and go with it. I feel the same way, only I have to pay for the shit so I’ll ride it ’till its amortized to nothing.
Need a hot wife and a copy of L’Equipe to put under your jersey on a desent.
So any local teams putting on a cross race this season? Westwood does I think. What about a CRCA team?
Bring on the mud…
additional pro gear:
Masseuse
earpiece/microphone
404s are so pedestrian. To be “pro as shit” you need Campy Boras or Lightweights maybe Carbones Supers (not sure what those new cabones are called); You also need glaring white shoes, saddle and tape with a full white kit and a powermeter.
Thats pro. 404s are like riding mavic box rims these days.
dope hair cut that looks marvelous before and after a 200km race usually required as well
Oxyclean is my savior! It works great to clean the white tape. get the liqud kind in the blue bottle.
so people use Oxyclean and or keep a professional mechanic on hand to clean and rewrap their bar tap on a regular basis. Oh and somebody to smear chamois cream on your shorts for you. Got it.
To be pro-as-shit checklist
Zipp 404s
Bags of blood
Oxyclean
Professional Mechanic
Cream Schmer-er
Dab a little bit of ProLink Gold lube on a clean cloth and wipe down your frame. It will look brand new.
i blame bettini and before him cipo for the current onslaught of terribly impractical white fashion trends..but white is a lot easier when some 60yr old italian dude with secret magic mystery cleaner cleans all your white equipment on an hourly basis. gotta get me one of those.
as in taken down by a pothole or seam, or get tangled up with someone?
This aggression will not stand.
Who peed on your rug, Dude?
Nihilist: We believe in nothing, Lebowski. Nothing. And tomorrow we come back and we cut off your chonson.
The Dude: Excuse me?
Nihilist: I said
[shouting]
Nihilist: We’ll cut off your johnson!
Nihilist #2: Just you think about that, Lebowski.
Nihilist #3: Yeah, your wiggly penis, Lebowski.
Nihilist #2: Yeah and maybe we stomp on it and squoosh it, Lebowski.
use windex and a brillo pad.
does it really work??
So what do you all use to clean your bikes? I prefer Scrubbing Bubbles, followed with some Pledge. Does anybody have anyting they use that works better? Oxyclean for bar tape?
and yes, it works in a way other cleaners don’t, though there are lots of things it does not help with.
http://www.runyoutech.com/oxygen_bleach.htm
Ray Alba posted saying Kirk Catnott fell and was injured at FBF last night. Sad thing to happen to a great guy:
“(Kirk Catnott) Got injured badly last night. Please wish him well – he will be off the bike for at least 9 weeks. Broken Tibia, Knuckles, Concusion among other things. I am sure he would love the support from the guys he loves to race with.
Thanks and be safe racing.”
OVERSHARE!
I use to use White Tape with my white SMP Strike saddle but it got to dirt to fast. Now its black eleganza with white stiching(nice). IF you want to look fast get silver or gold tape. White is so 2006.
Love to talk about the stuff I slather on myself…chamois cream, embrocation…leg shaving stuff.
The most awesome scenes in “Hell On Wheels” are the ones where we see Aldag shaving, Vino getting rubbed down and the team soigneur schmearing half a tub of chamois creme onto Zabel’s shorts.
You think thats bad? For long rides I just pack some dry crackers and once in a while stop beside the road and rub them on the bars for some Gu and sweat spread. if Im feeling ambitious, Ill then dip them in my shorts for a little chamois cream topping. Yum!
rubbing chamois cream is hot.
No padding, slippery to sweaty hands = bummer
does anyone know where i can get some of that wrinkle-resistant tape that’s also stain-resistant.
Also, should i start using the cream? i have been using Cortizone cream when things get bad, but i’m worried i use so much of it that i would fail a drug test!
i’ve ridden my bike rain and shine for 2 and a half years, havent changed my tape once, and have covered up all the rips (~50% of the bars now) with electrical tape.
I use what I call the “Pigpen” test – I change the (so far always black) bar tape when I find myself riding along accompanied by a large cloud of flies and insects that view my bike as a primary food source, sort of making me a mobile eco-system. I think the once a month rain ride suffices to clean the tape…so much for getting any hand-shakes from JT from now on!
Come back Lee3, a poseur is in da house
Don’t fuck with the Jesus.
Pouring my cytomax on the ground right now…
say he was rockin’ the fizik tape. little nuances matter.
oh, man, i laughed out loud. (speaking of great threads of yore, that’s a nod to several…)
As awesome, I meant describing bar tape as awesome…
Too much information = bad visual. How many riders do you apply said cream to?
My gloves smell peculiar, I may wash them
Is Jammet the new lee3?
Describing a specific brand of bar tape without the slightest hint of irony….
Annoying as isht that the Floyd press release says that he was “accused” of doping, instead of “tested positive”.
i dunno, i used to rock it on my old bike around july, it made me feel faster. i don’t know why i don’t have it now – i guess repeatedly buying 10-15 dollar tape once a month takes the will out of you.
Bryant Park Word for Word Author: Floyd Landis
Wednesday, Jun 27, 2007
12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Manhattan
Floyd Landis, Positively False: The Real Story of How I Won the Tour de France
Hosted by: John Eustice, Champion Bicyclist and Journalist
Floyd Landis relays his side of the story after being accused of taking banned performance
The looks thing may or may not float your boat, but think about it cleanliness.
You’re touching your hands on the bars, and they’re out in the world. And your hands touch your food and sometimes your mouth or eyes when you’re riding.
It’s nasty to not clean the tape from time to time.
Don’t get me started on people who wear gloves repeatedly w/o washing them
white pimp
the chamois creme on itself…
i can’t believe people clean their tape. you guys need hobbies (or to train more)
When you refer to “the rider” you are talking about yourself? Just making sure.
KWK styles the white shoes
On my pimped-out all-white TT rig only. Invoking the late-80’s-Miami-Vice-White-Testarossa look. I use the fizik tape, which cleans up real nice with baby wipes. Road bike has black tape so it doesn’t show “a patina of sweat, GU, spit and snot” (great quote).
As for chamois cream, I spread it on thick, particularly in any area involving stitching. I like to apply by hand and bias the smear towards the back and out to the sides of the chamois. I also like to apply it to both the rider and the shorts. I usually lather up with Assos (buy it in bulk), but for really long or wet rides I’ve taken to using big scoops of A+D ointment (original, not the zinc oxide one). So far so good this season.
is awesome.
as for white bartape, it sounds like the same deal as with white shoes- you better be good and/or european to pull it off…
Good thing Ugli doesnt use a white saddle!
White tape shows how much you really ride your bike. If it is pristine, you’re a poser (or OCD). Like a well-worn baseball mitt, the tape should show signs of wear, a patina of sweat, GU, spit and snot massaged by soft leather gloves. Then I sew the tape into lederhosen.
But is’s a hassle to keep the softer white tapes, like cloth or cork or the Deda stuff, clean.
So I’ve usually used Bike Ribbon, which is hard and easier to keep clean. I recently started using the Deda stuff but it looks like crap, even with weekly oxiclean
Duchamp might use them
Couldn’t sprint for shit! Man Ray owned him!
with my white toupe saddle. I am the clumsiest shit out there and I just look at my bike and my hands are black so it got so dirty that the mechanic at Piermont did not want to touch it in fear of his hands getting dirty. Changed back to black. Now I have a grey saddle and black tape to go with a somewhat dirty bike, who am I kidding, a really dirty bike (what it rained a while back, how do you expect me to keep it clean). I have to say it did look great for a few seconds after I put it on.
So did anyone else notice ref in the interview to years 1986 and 1992 on his college days? Does that mean hes like the John Belushi character in Animal House who stayed in college for like 8 years? Can we call him Bluto Butarski?
PS – Alan is the BEST.
You can’t have a ringer discussion like dog leashes every week. And I’m on vacation in my mind already, bringing quality snark week after week gets tiring after a while. Can’t wait to get me some beer in the can…
Topic is boring, but it was worth it just to use that photo – that shit is too funny! Thanks…Id hang that on my wall!
white bar tape is pro as shit
(except that it makes me a poser because i suck)
Oxyclean
Wow – reaching for ideas? Whats next? A thread on how we apply Butt Buttr on the chamois? Squeeze from tube directly or smear (schmeer) with hand all over the affected area?
Must have been a tame FBF last night – what, nary a snide comment spoken in the field nor an errant dreadlocked rider shouting from behind?