tri-ac :: triathlete

Part I here…

To be fair to Marc at Racedaywheels, he replied the next day (on July 4!) to my request for help on the extender valve, suggesting a “rebuild” (taking the tire off and redoing the valve extender connection to the tube valve). I didn’t go back to my email that day. But I did go get some extra CO2 so that I could try my inflator to see if it was going to work in case of trouble on the road. It worked: not by tight seal, but by force of effort. The CO2 blew all over in addition to down the valve throat. The valve nut froze in the open position, and I had to tap it with the broken-spoke poker I had fashioned to get it to close. Seeing that this new tool was indispensable for a potential flat, I cut the spoke down to a size that could fit in my blowout bag and added it to the tool essentials I would carry during my race. I also took my spare tube out and pre-wrapped the valve with plumber’s teflon thread tape, and, just for good measure, put the wheel of thread tape in my blowout bag too.

Sidebar rant: This year, I bought a floor pump at Performance Bike after some frustration with my last one. The rubber gasket that seals against the valve head had worn down to the point it was popping off the valve prior to coming up to pressure. When I went searching for a replacement valve, I found I could order a whole new hose and head complete (+/- $20), but not just the gasket. So, for $39 I bought a new Performance brand pump that had a head that could unscrew to access the gasket. In discussion with the salesperson, I thought I understood that replacement gaskets were available. So, I bought the pump. With this valve extender pump head seal problem, I thought I’d just get the gasket replacement and be back on track with my inflation issue. Well, apparently, Performance Bike USED TO SELL a $21 entire head replacement and not just the gasket. They’ve stopped making the replacement kit because it cost almost as much as a new pump! WHY CAN’T THEY JUST SELL THE $0.05 RUBBER GASKET IF THAT’S THE PART THAT WEARS OUT???? The pump is built to make that replacement easy. Just have a bucket of them at the front of the store…people would buy tons of them to keep their pumps at peak performance. THE REST OF THE PUMP IS PERFECTLY SERVICEABLE! As is the old one too; I still have that one for schrader valves and soccer balls and such. They’ve clearly made a business decision to be force people to buy whole pumps, when they could be far more sustainable and let people maintain the ones they own. [/rant]

The salesguys at the store were sympathetic and gave me two pump heads they had in the service area to try. (One of the salesmen even suggested looking at a Silca floor pump instead, even though they don’t sell them. What do you know? They produce parts too.) Unfortunately, the pump heads they gave me were not new and had the same seal issue. I decided to rely on the race bike service tent in transition instead of rebuilding the valve extender assembly on the tube. Surely they dealt with these valve extenders all the time. And I had a backup method with the CO2 if they couldn’t handle it. I didn’t particularly want to mess with the 808 assembly. I was taking a chance at maybe changing a tire with this setup for the first time on the road. “Nothing new on race day” is the mantra. Incidentally, I heard froma friend who owns 404’s that the smooth surface of the valve extenders is known for being a little difficult to deal with. He solved it with longer valve tubes. But for the 808’s, the valves extenders are essential.

I switched over my magnet to the front 808 and realized the spokes are blade-shaped, not round. So, I adjusted the position of my speed sensor on the fork and tested that it would pick up the magnet without trouble.

Race day came. I was able to get the wheels up to pressure with the help of the bike assist folks at the race. I had zero issues during the race. The magnet worked for my computer. The road was clean and smooth. I didn’t see nearly the debris I have to ride through around my town. The tires were new so a blowout was very unlikely anyway. I was a little apprehensive early because I saw quite a few people changing tires in the first 10 miles of the race. But there was nothing in the road, no potholes, nothing, so they were probably dealing with issues that arrived with their bikes at the race.

The wheels felt soft even though I was pretty sure they were close to my usual pressure. I’m attributing this to the carbon/alum rim section. Because I got clinchers, they have the aluminum rim for the tire bead retention and braking surface. No new brake pads were necessary because of the aluminum. They felt fast. I could hear a little whir as they spun. I could hear all my shifting, with a lovely hollow “clunk” sound reflecting off the rim. And they were noticeably unnoticeable weight-wise (if that makes any sense at all). To top it off, my bike did, in fact, look bad ass.

I ended up with a better than expected bike leg in my race (15mins better!), which I’m going to attribute to both my training AND my rented race wheels. Because if I don’t, my wife will not let me rent them ever again! At around $1200 for a 2007 USED pair of 808’s, this rental scheme is a pretty good deal. I could do this 6 times before even considering purchasing a set. If I wanted new wheels, I think it’s around $2k (10 rentals). And, the rental is for this year’s wheels. So, I was very happy with the experience, valve extender issues notwithstanding.

Returning the wheels was pretty easy. I received an email from Racedaywheels that gave me the contact info for the next renter. I had my LBS swap my cassette back to my old wheelset. I repackaged the wheels in the box they came in and took it to FedEx Office (formerly FedEx Kinko’s, nee Kinko’s).

I hope the new guy likes my old wheelset!!