Sat
23
May '09
I have slowly been building interest about bicycling on the 146.670 Quincy Repeater. Connect through the MMRA network(on Echolink) or call us on 146.67. The PL is 146.2hz. We have several serious riders that will answer any questions regarding frame geometry, bicycle types, ancillary equipment, local rides, etc. I told WA1JIM about the race which was held near the Quincy repeater in the Blue Hills. He went there and took some great pictures of some race action.They had many starts through out the day. They did not traverse the toughest section of the paved roads in the Blue Hills. I think that the riders had a great time. WA1JIM saw several racers whom I know. He also saw some of the cool technology that local racers are starting to use such as very light hubs, powertap hubs, etc. Some things are simple refinements and other things are big technological changes. The shift to smaller road frames on racing bikes has been happening over the past ten years. Things such as built-in cadence sensor(magnet) in the new Stronglight X-wing cranksets are simple refinements to make things easier for you. Most people use a ziptie to hold the magnet onto the crankset. This ziptie collects dirt and can slip, when it slips you lose your cadence reading. The new X-Wing keeps it looking snazzy and prevents it from slipping.
There were some teams which I had no prior knowledge. There were several powerhouse teams from the local circuit. Most of them were from the north shore. Bicycling is growing. A lot of these teams are fielding beginner racers. New teams are appearing all of the time. You can go to the full photo album by clicking on this link of http://n1ey.netfirms.com/Railroad/nfpicturepro/thumbnails.php?album=41.
Here is an example of one of those cool hubs. I think this was on a Cervelo bicycle. I should note that these bicycles are bucking the trend. They are going for longer head tubes and snappier turning capability then some of the Treks. Even Cannondale is building longer headtubes in their new full carbon race bicycle line. I have also been thinking of switching my speed sensor to rear-drive. I think that it gives a cleaner look.WA1JIM also caught a picture of Jesus from the Wompatuck weekly racing with his new steel bike. Steel is coming back. Light steel weighs less than many of the entry level aluminum bikes. A lot of racers are also buying the relatively inexpensive LeTourneau wheels. They seem to light, fast, and bomb-proof. I heard of several accidents in which the wheels remained true.
N1EY
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