The Best Tour de France Ever?

Eight seconds.

After three solid weeks of racing five or six hours a day, over frozen mountain peaks and through humid, blistering valleys, Greg LeMond -- the first, and now the only American to win the Tour de France (and he won it three times) -- rode his guts out into Paris, against all the odds, on the very last day of the race, and beat Laurent Fignon -- the hometown hero! -- by eight measly seconds.

Eight seconds!

Many say it was the most exciting and surprising Tour finish ever.

Last week, whilst tooling about Amherst getting some things done (on my bike), I stopped at the venerable Jones Library to drop off some paperwork. On my way out, I passed a table of ancient magazines recently withdrawn from the collection. I stopped just long enough to notice that they were all Sports Illustrated issues from the late '80s and early '90s. I wasn't overly interested, but I flipped a couple of copies over, and... voilá! Cette:

Hope you enjoy this little rest-day bon-bon. The article is well-written and the photos sublime, so click to enlarge the scans, and then expand the expansions to enjoy the text.

The man was, and remains, a Giant. Chapeau, M. LeMond!

#     #     #

Clement X'Plor MSO Review

(NOTE: Please forgive dodgy formatting and mediocre photos. Main laptop is down,and this post was compiled using various devices.)

Regular readers know that I've been a huge fan of the Kenda Small Block Eight 35 mm tires that were on my Salsa Vaya when I bought it, lightly used, in 2011. For the mixed-surface rides I love in the Pioneer Valley, featuring choppy paved roads transitioning to loose gravel surfaces, they have just the right amount of tread, and are wide enough to offer a bit of cush. They also had plenty of clearance under my 50 mm Civia fenders.

My Eights still have some tread left, but I decided recently to replace them before it was too late. I wanted to be able to keep them in my quiver.

I knew I wanted a wider tire, since I was curious about what more girth would do for ride quality. As noted here recently, there's been an explosion of epic gravel riding events in the last couple of years. This has led to a profusion of wider tire choices. Where there were only a few back in 2011, I found far too many this time around, and took weeks in deciding. 

In the end, a dirt-road ride with friend Will, from Hampshire Bicycle Exchange, made the decision easy. He was sporting a brandy-new Vaya 2 (bought through his shop) featuring Clement X'Plor MSO's. I noticed that, in sections where my tires came up wanting, he seemed sure-footed and relaxed. Hmmm...

And, well, yeah -- they're also a gorgeous tire. Let's be honest: Glossy black rubber with bright, bold graphics can influence a purchase pretty profoundly.

I did the right thing and purchased the tires through the Bike Exchange. They mounted easily, despite the wire bead. Though these initial shots shows that the fenders needed some re-aligning with the new tire, they also demonstrate how much more ample the tire looks, evoking stability and readiness.

 

And now, the first impressions, formed after a handful of gravel, trail, and paved rides:

Looks

Fuggedabout it. Drop-dead gorgeous. Perhaps the crowning touches are the colorful World Champ-style stripes and the accent over the first "e," evoking Clement's storied Continental history.

Tread and Profile

Even though I saved a little scratch by going with the 60 TPI version, I am impressed by the pliant sidewalls, giving the dirt-road feel of a more expensive tire. Yet in all the reviews I saw, durability got decent marks.

The tread surface is nearly semi-circular, and extends well down toward the rim. The tread on the MSO is what differentiates it from its X'Plor USH brother; its chevron pattern features a concentration of small, tightly-spaced parallelograms forming an ample central ridge. When the tire is more fully pumped, this band makes for relatively smooth paved-road riding.

When I let 10 psi or so out of the MSO, though, it's ready for the gravel roads Clement vaunts as its natural setting. The outer edges feature slightly larger, well-designed knobs. At semi-soft pressures, these tend to bite hard-pack and gravel enough to create some security. Yet they're low-profile enough that lowering the pressure yet another five or so pounds delivers a somewhat tubular footprint which flattens out reassuringly over the large, loose stones of Western Mass back roads.  

Ride

All of this promises a good balance for my go-anywhere bike and my local road conditions. What I've seen so far delivers on that promise. In loose-to-washed-out gravel, riding about 38 psi in the front and 45 in the back (I weigh about 160 pounds), I found myself surprised by the sureness of grip, leaning dreamily into sharpish downhill turns. 

The paved-road ride is good enough, though the extra weight and less-expensive construction is evident. Every decision involves trade-offs, and I'm hoping this one just needs a little more time to adjust to the natural consequences of a step up in tire size. Much of my time on this tire will be spent commuting, so I'll have more to say about that later. Watch this space for a follow-up review on this handsome rubber.

#     #     #

Pioneer Valley Summer Magic

A week of short, two-wheeled rambles through the countryside of the venerable Pioneer Valley produced some memorable visuals. I'd have to take up oils again to do them justice, but I snapped away, unable to stop.

First, a folio of Hadley views:

Hadley's Great Meadow -- some of the oldest farm fields in America

Hadley's Honeypot district, adjacent to the Meadow

Honeypot corn

Sculptural clouds above the stately Connecticut

For agricultural and history buffs, from the web site of the World Monuments Fund:

Located on the Connecticut River in western Massachusetts, Hadley was settled in 1659 by English Puritans. The colonists laid out a village, common, and an “open-field” farming system in the Great Meadow. This arrangement of slender, unfenced, elongated land parcels bounded by the river has endured since the time of the allotments to original settlers. Open-field farming was widespread in medieval and early modern Europe, but only the earliest New England settlements set up this type of agricultural system, and most had disappeared by the 18th century. This survival on such a large scale, over the centuries and through American industrialization in the northeastern United States, is incredibly improbable. 

Next, some shots from across the river in Deerfield.

A cool spot by the banks on a blazing day

After a beautiful climb over North Hillside Road, a descent led to more magic

The steed pauses for a drink on a humid afternoon

Waiting out the rain under a tree, five miles from home

There's beauty all about us, if we have eyes to see. Go for a ride today, rain or shine, and keep a lookout for surprises.

#     #     #

Vaya con Dos: Es Mejor

A delightful extended dirt-road climb and descent yesterday with friend Will, who works at my LBS, the venerable Hampshire Bicycle Exchange.

It was a oven-like, summery day, but these particular roads are well-shaded, and the surrounding burbling brooks and deep glades provided refreshing breezes most of the day.

Will is a perfect ride partner; like me, he enjoys conversation (which we somehow managed to keep up over extended 7% climbs on loose gravel) and, like me, he occasionally likes to wind up the motor and let fly. We spent most of the ride two-up, just chatting and enjoying the remarkable bucolic scenery on Pratt Corner Road in Amherst and Leverett and Montague Road in Shutesbury and Leverett.

For gravel grinders in the Pioneer Valley, you won't find more appealing roads on the east side of the Connecticut River. If you really want to add to the challenge, do the short out-and-back spur on Sand Hill Road -- but make sure your tires are wide and your legs are fresh. It's gorgeous up there, but the grades are real, the road is aptly named.

One reason we had been looking forward to joining up on this route for months is that we both are proud owners of the Salsa Vaya, a bike perfectly suited to mixed-surface rides.

Vaya 2 and 1, descansando in el fresco sombre

33 miles, 2,400', about 70% dirt. A most satisfying afternoon's work.

Dos Vayas charlando 

Salsa Vaya: (Very) Full Review

I've owned a Salsa Vaya for over two years now, but just realized this month that, despite the many posts here crowing about the bike and the places it's allowed me to see, I've never done a full review. I've put this rig through its paces in many different roles: commuter, wanna-be-29-inch mountain bike, and, most rewarding of all, dirt road rambler. I have lots to say about it, so settle in.

Gravel and Dirt Roads

In Western Mass, we have a bounty of beautiful scenery to be devoured, and the best of it is often down a road that makes pseudo-racers on their $3,000 carbon razor blades shudder with fear.

Back when all I owned was a skinny-tired racing bike, I couldn't resist exploring these byways, and frequently spun out my back wheel standing on the pedals on pebbly 20% ramps. I decided to find something better suited to the terrain. When the owner of my LBS decided to sell his first-gen Vaya, I gave it a test ride on some local dirt, and it was love at first bite.

With 35 mm Kenda Small Block Eights for rubber, the Vaya wasn't too responsive on tarmac, but once I hit the gravel, it was like someone lopped an invisible five pounds off the bike. It just felt right. This is, in fact, the surface the bike was designed for; a few years ago, when gravel endurance events (see partial lists here and here) were in their infancy, the Vaya was one of the go-to rigs for those races. (Now there are purpose built gravel racing bikes, of course. Inventing an miniscule, elitist niche and then exploiting the dickens out of it is the American way.)

The Vaya sings on dirt and gravel roads. If this is your main reason for considering buying one, don't hesitate.

Single-track

I had never ridden single-track before the Vaya, but my lack of skills didn't stop me from trying. And trying. I found a lot of different ways to fall off a bicycle out in the woods of Western Mass, and a variety of ways to sleep upright on a sofa, crying out in the middle of the night because of torn rib muscles or bruised bones.

Before adult responsibilities demanded I quit, I had a blast out there. It's indescribably exciting to use a traditional drop-bar road bike to thoroughly clean a section of mountain bike trail, with a few log-hops and brook clearings thrown in for good measure.

Don't buy the Vaya expecting MTB performance. But if, like me, you can't resist areasonably smooth trail leading into the woods off of your boring old road route, this bike will serve you admirably.

 Paved Roads

I've ridden the Vaya countless hours on paved roads; if you're not going far, it can be a very rewarding ride. This can include stretches of tarmac which hook up your favorite gravel routes (especially if, like me, many of your dirt roads don't extend beyond five miles).

It also -- perhaps especially -- includes commuting.Adding to the Small Blocks a slim rack, full fenders, a powerful rechargeable light and blinkie, and a good pannier, handsomely prepared the Vaya  rides to work in snow, freezing cold, rain, and yes, even the occasional nice New England day. Though I'm not a bike tourist, this set-up approaches a touring config, and the bike handles well under load.

The bike feels ready to handle all kinds of weather, handles very predictably, just generally feels safe in traffic and on the pot-holed roads that going to work often involves in the Northeast. With the bike in commuter mode, I find myself inventing reasons to ride -- a quick trip to the library, or volunteering to pick up that quart of milk.


Touring is another of the purposes for which the Vaya was created, but Salsa might as well have added commuting in their list. It makes a rock-solid commuting road bike.

Handling and Geometry

The Vaya handles well on dirt, but also suprised me on the road. It tracks ruler-straight; you can fully load a pannier on one side and check constantly over your shoulder for traffic, and when you turn to the front again, you're exactly the same distance from the shoulder. Unloaded, however, the bike is pleasingly responsive for such a workhorse bike. Bars sit high and the reach to them is short, so shoulder fatigue simply never happens.

With just a little speed while on the road, I can use both hands to zip a jacket or open an energy bar. Sometimes I add my heavyish handlebar bag when I'm commuting; if I keep the front load reasonable, steering remains enjoyable.

Now, I've read reports of people riding the Vaya in zippy group rides, day-long road expeditions, and even multi-day tours. While the bike's comfort is prodigious, and I've ridden up to eight hours with none of the typical soreness such length involves, I find the Vaya's solid build and fatter tires -- which make it so wonderful on moderate gravel rides --  make it ponderous for anything longer than 20 miles or so on hilly paved roads.

Disc brakes

My Vaya came with Avid BB5 disc brakes, but more recent iterations upgraded to the highly-touted BB7s. As I was a disc novice, I can't offer comparisons, but I can say that the BB5s were a revelation to someone used to braking on the wheel rim. I find the Avids especially useful on dirt, where smooth, rapid modulation of speed can be a matter of life and limb. And when I want to stop on the road, I stop -- period. It's as if mud and water simply don't exist.

If you have a Marco Polo in you, begging for a true all-rounder bike that will take you wherever you want to go, test-ride the Vaya.  I traded it in once for a fancier bike, and was back at the shop wearing a sheepish expression a week later. Fortunately, the manager took pity on me and traded it back.

I just can't imagine swinging a leg over a better bike when I'm up for adventure.

The Vaya at large in its natural habitat