Double Tap

I like to replace my bike parts every 20 years or so, whether they need it or not. I am weird like that. The parts in question are the shifters on my gravel bike.

I bought these Dura Ace 7700 STI shifters way back in 1998. They have been used on countless bikes over the years, and they have seen a lot of racing.

Frames came and went.

As did styles of racing.

And they saw use long after I stopped racing.

These are only a few examples of the bikes they have adorned. On each bike they dutifully performed their shifting and braking duties without complaint.

But it was time to move on, and time to move into the 21st Century. I looked around and read about what was available out there. All my mountain bikes at this point are utilizing a single ring in front, so I thought I should go that route. In my opinion, Shimano just isn't there yet on the road side. Ultimately I decided to buy my first Sram drivetrain EVER.

I decided on an 11-42 cassette and a 44-tooth chainring. I typically used a 38/48 chainring combo on my cross bikes, so I wouldn't lose much on the high end. On the low end, I would make great gains with the massive 42-tooth cog.

My current gravel frame uses mountain bike spacing (135mm) in the rear. Paired with a road crankset, the cassette is spaced 2.5mm outboard in relation to the chainrings. For this reason I used the outer position for the Race Face narrow-wide ring, and the chainline is spot on.

Setup was pretty straightforward. The only hiccup I encountered was my first chain being too short. I ordered a 120-link chain and it was perfect.

I really like the clean look without a front derailleur.

After over 20 years of shifting with STI, I must say it was frustrating to adapt to Double Tap. At one point I said aloud, "This is #%&@ing stupid." As that first ride progressed, it because easier, and the cussing subsided, but by no means did shifting become second nature.

On the pro side, braking has improved significantly. I think the Sram levers have a slightly higher cable pull ratio, so the brakes felt less mushy and I didn't have to run the pads so close to the rotor. I also liked how much more solid the lever blade feels because it isn't also a shifting mechanism like with Shimano STI.

For the cons, I would say so far using one lever for both shifts is not great. However, I know this is simply because I am not used to it. Millions of cyclists, including top professionals, are successfully using the system without issue.

I worried that the wide range of the cassette might not lend itself to road riding, but I noticed no difference. In reality I simply added two bigger cogs (which I have yet to use) to the nine speeds I was used to for all these years.

Overall I think this will be a fine drivetrain choice. Will it last for 20 years? Doubtful. When I purchased the Dura Ace so many years ago, it was top of the line. This new equipment is pretty far down the Sram food chain. Anyway, time will tell. Either way, it probably outlasts my aging body.

Later.

Another New Year

Last year one of my goals was to ride more miles than the year before. For a cyclist this is sort of a given; we always want more miles.

I performed a Garmin dump for 2018 and found that I barely eclipsed 2017 by a mere eight miles. Considering that I have no formal schedule, and I don't pay much attention to mileage until the end of the year, this is interesting. On the one hand, it's somewhat amazing that two yearly mileage totals can be so close. On the other hand, I am sort of a creature of habit.

From a big picture perspective, life was much the same in both years. My son played tournament baseball for the same organization, played Babe Ruth, made All Stars both years, and then played fall ball for his high school. I filled in the gaps where I could with rides, so it stands to reason the riding time and mileage would be similar.

The one area that saw a mild reduction was elevation gain at 159,000 feet, which was 5,000 feet less than the year before. This is likely due to Jennifer riding with me more, a good thing of course, but we don't do as much climbing when riding together.

One variable that I obviously don't control is atmospheric conditions. We lost countless riding days this year to wildfire smoke. I often sat on the indoor trainer those days, in addition to doing it on rainy days in the winter. These indoor days are not captured by the GPS. I think without the effects of the Carr Fire I beat last year quite handily.

I hope this goes without saying, but let me add that I feel awful even putting the wildfire topic in writing. Thousands of people lost their homes. But this is a cycling blog, so I can't ignore factors that affect cycling.

The new year opens with much promise from a cycling perspective. My son will play baseball almost exclusively for the high school, which is right down the road. The decreased driving time should be significant. On the downside, we have a couple years of home projects that have been back burnered due to our busy schedule, and they will need to be completed. I also have a lingering shoulder issue that may require some downtime at some point. Still, I see no reason why 2019 can't be a great riding year.

Later.