Tribute to Diverge

1,5 year ago I built this for a winter, spring and early summer adventures. 8,26kg well built. I got another crank when I should have the S-Works one on my roadbike with some oval chainrings from Absolute Black. I changed stem for a longer lower when the spring arrived but except that (and wheels/tires) it remained the same. The bike now lives just a couple of kilometers from here but it is as missed as my Cannondale F1000 I have had 3 times 😉

I still want such a light bike that can handle everything. My Sequoia got better tire clearance and handled a bad winter better, my Tarmac is better on Tarmac, my Crux was better racing CX. But the Diverge is the golden middleway. If you only could have one bike with dropbars the Diverge is the one (in carbon). Would love to do a credit card touring with one over a country on all surfaces 🙂 Started to think about it watching this video of Francis Cade riding gravel with Hot Chillee in Marocco:

let light be light again

How light is a light bike? Last year I built a Specialized Camber Elite Carbon just under 10kg:

It was light as an S-Works Epic WC without bottle cage and pedals. But is 10kg light? I’ve been racing Grenserittet (my best time) on a bike that was 6,9kg. And I still got memories from racing with that bike with damping fork, my Merida:

Around 7,5kg all season with a bit different parts on. single chainring and tubular wheels (had 2 pair). That was light.

Now I’ve learnt that 26″ isn’t fast and that 580mm handlebar isn’t good. The development goes forward but has it to be so heavy? I want new school geometry, wide bars, single chainring and right sized cassette with 50+ tires that are good. I’m on full planning to build maybe the smartest built bike I’ve ever built and it will be raced on for 2017 😀

What do you have for mtb race plans for 2017?

Lanterne Rouge low profile

”new” wheels on my Tarmac today. My tubulars from the Diverge. Good for Cyclocross racing and hopefully good for climbing. Saved 440g with the wheelchange including tires and the front QR. Tune hubs seems to work great with Tune U20 QR 🙂 23mm Specialized teamtires and it was 6,42kg.

Had a plan of riding mtb after work today but when friends are leaving for vacation I choosed Lanterne Rouge instead and had the pleasure of riding with Patch again after way too long time. He was in good shape and many others too so became some attacking as usual. I had a small plan of not going flat out but it’s not fun :p

The stop after Lagnövägen. I thought I would get dropped but I didn’t 🙂

Tried to take it easy and while it felt like I sat too low and my spareshoes isn’t as good as my S-Works Sub6 I thought of trying to beat my time up Skurubacken. My best time is still with my Allez and today my Tarmac was lighter, stiffer and I’m better trained. But wasn’t able to beat my time anyway 😦

Back in Sickla the summary was a great ride with great people in great weather and that Ena and I have the same superlight bartape 😀

Map and stats: Strava

the sad truth about weightweenies

Many years ago when people rode alu- and steelbikes weightweenies used to drill holes in parts to save weight. Always the easiest and cheapest way to save weight.

Then when modern carbon fibre frames and parts came weightweenies changed parts for carbon, tuning things like derailleurs with dremel and new carbon parts and alu screws. A rear derailleur at 130g and brands like Extralite, Tune, b-t-p, Carbon-Ti, Schmolke and THM Carbones was the thing. AX-Lightness and MCFK came and pushed it further with really light carbon parts and frames.

Then we came to now. When people buying a Tarmac, SuperSIX Evo, R5 or a Colnago C59/60 with Enve wheels, Sram Red groupset but with Clavicula crank and Praxis (!) chainrings. Enve stem, seatpost and bar, or 3T. It all results in a 6kg bike and they call them self Weightweenies. Without change of a single screw or even touched a dremel.

Team Sky talks about this:

What happened to that in cycling. Why are people on Weightweenies using heavy Praxis (I know they are good but anyway) chainrings when Extralite, Carbon-Ti or Tune is so much lighter? Why aren’t people putting a dremel in their Dura-Ace 9000 or Sram Red22 rear derailleur, or even changing pulleys? Why aren’t Extralite bigger and people using Tune U20 QR? Why are people talking about clinchers? Can people even spell to Schmolke?

The Specialized Allez for you

The bike I’ve ridden the most is up for sale. Got new wheels, tires, tubes, cassette, chain and bar tape in the end of last season and now it’s just hanging collecting dust. As my heart seems to dream of Italian things all the time I’m selling this beauty for an older more classic bike.

Are you interested?

Size 52.

Price around 16000SEK. Send an e-mail to me at cerrol.jl (at) gmail.com for more info and buying. Can be this years best deal if you want a really good alu frame with very good components.

THE bike: Project16

Like a child at Christmas everytime it happens. My new roadbike is almost finished, finished enough to be showed, finished enough to have been testridden and finished enough to make the wait for spring way too long…

Specialized S-Works Tarmac Disc

Specialized S-Works Shallow 400mm handlebar

Specialized S-Works Toupe 143 saddle

Specialized S-Works S-Works 172,5mm crankset

Specialized S-Works Rib Cage II bottle cage

Sram Force 1 hydraulic disc brakes

Sram Force 1 rear derailleur

Sram Force 1 50t chainring

Engage Revit 27,2x310mm seatpost

Engage Torque 90mm stem

Sram Red22 11-25 cassette

Sram Red22 chain

Cannondale Si expander/topcap

Fi’zi:k Superlight 2mm bartape

Mavic Ksyrium SLR pedals

Roval Rapide CLX 40 disc tubular wheelset

Sram HSX 140mm rotors

Tune Q20/DC17 Quickreleases

Vittoria Corsa CX/SC tubulars

Weight: 6,46kg (without tubular glue)

Not as much colour as last year, not as many gears, not as high wheels, not as light. But the target was a faster, cleaner, simpler but made to go further and be more comfortable than the Allez. I love the future with disc brakes and after many thoughts and non understanding it felt like 1×11 drivetrain was the way to go for me when I live here in flat Stockholm.

As usual every bit on the bike has a thought behind. So let’s spread the joy and wait for spring 😀

Le Peloton #69

It was said to be -7°, Johan had -13° when he left home (almost neighbour). The coldest Peloton today and first it was just me and Johan for the photoshoot:

Then came 5 guys more. A little bit new route to not ride in the cross country skiingtracks and it was good. 4 at the front in the beginning with Magnus, Rasmus, Damian and me. Magnus dropped a little and at the start of the new part Rasmus had a little gap to me and Damian. I passed Damian and rode up to Rasmus, and kept that wheel until I dropped him when it got a bit rough. Caught him again and held the wheel good on Erstaviksvägen where it was pretty slippery I think but my Specialized tubulars was just awesome. Felt good to. At the turningpoint on the Erstaviks loop it was a bit rough again but it felt good, and for the first time I really felt how my CG-R seatpost worked with the damping. Think it need a bit more to work with than my featherweight.

Went up in front a couple of times on the way back and it was great riding my Diverge when Rasmus rode his Bianchi Methanol with studs in front 😉

Was a great morning even though it was really cold a couple of times, think I will get a pair of new gloves…

Magnus showed hos icy it was:

When you see ice like that it’s nice to be at Le Mond, where you even can get cappuccino without mention it, Liam is good 🙂 And a picture of Rasmus:

Rasmus got some film from the ride too, but the battery died so I’m not in it 😦

My great Diverge, it’s just awesome (with light wheels and without fenders):

Map and stats from today if you’re interested: Strava

Groopencross,

Today me and Birjer left the big city life to go to a sandpit outside Västerås to join their traingrace. Sometimes it’s great to just discover new places and racing with friends is always a win.

Groopencross is about sand and goes on gravel in the forest and on beaches around a small lake.

And for the comparsion it’s all about the bike, about gearing and the biggest issue tires.

• My Specialized Crux is the fastest CX I’ve ridden. Thought about it today, my Cannondale SuperX was a bit more comfortable but could never go as fast. Even trying my boss Crux last spring it was super fast so doesn’t have with all the cycling I’ve done this summer. It’s faster going straight and in corners. It’s just up to me how fast.
• Then the gearing. Riding a single chainring demands a bit more knowledge than riding with two. Groopencross was an easy course and never used lowest or highest gear. The Nationals where harder but suits me really well doing CX with 40t in front and 11-32 cassette. Just changing to 46t when I ride gravel or road as 40-11 feels a bit too easy then.
• Tires, hardest part in CX. As I’m working at Specialized Concepts Store Stockholm I’m getting good prices on Specialized tires. But I’m allowed to buy what ever I want. Specialized tires aren’t as supple as FMB or A. Dugast but they are the step under and lasts longer. Last year I used there middle tire Tracer but honestly I think a Grifo pattern would work better as allround. But what I’ve learned working with Specialized is to have different tires front and rear and not be locked to the same on both wheels. Today I like usual had a Terra (mud) in front and Tracer rear and for the first time I learnt about Tracer. It’s an awesome tire. Many small knobs giving you grip no matter how you lean the bike but still rolls good. A perfect tire for Groopencross with a lot of gravel and sand. Terra digged down in the sand so dreamt about a Tracer in front too today 😉 Funny to find the good things with parts you haven’t understood properly before.

So the summary of today it was really fun doing the trainingrace at Groopencross. (ending 6th of 20) and I really like my Crux. Like it so much that it will get upgraded with a new and better chain this week 🙂

A picture from after the race:

CX Morning, Steinmaur and b&w

Started the day in the best way. Rode cx with Jaime:

Matching nicely with our Crux Elite’s 🙂

Had a plan to link the the replays from sundays racing in Zonhoven but haven’t found any so instead I link to the EKZ Crosstour rain 54 Int. Radquer Steinmaur in Switzerland:

And ending the post with a picture of me by Anna Eide-Jensen from saturdays Nationals:

Specialized Crux Elite ready for Swedens CX Championships

Specialized Crux 2016 got thru axles. 12×100 in front and 12×135 with special SCS (Short ChainStay) rear. A standard that made it almost impossible to find wheels except Roval CLX40 that hasn’t been available yet.

Me and the owner of Tune Sverige solved it all with Tune King and Kong hubs and some grinding. So ready for the Nationals this saturday are my bike:

And also Matthias Wengelin’s bike:

So if you are in Stockholm this weekend. Saturday at Stora Skuggan is the place to be. The biggest CX weekend this year. UCI race on sunday too. And I need all cheering possible 😉