Tresca Aluminum Going-Fast Bicycle: First Impressions!

Firstly, I want to thank you all for your Jones submissions.  They are making for highly compelling reading.  Please be patient while I determine a winner, as I received even more applications than I expected.

Secondly, here's where I am on the Tresca:

That joke never gets old.  Never!

Okay, so on Friday I nipped out for a 40-ish mile jaunt.  Of course riding a new bike means you're going to stop every now and then to tweak stuff and so forth, which can be distracting.  So while my first impressions were quite favorable overall, I refrained from drawing any sweeping conclusions about the bike

On Saturday, I headed out for a ride of similar length on my beloved new-to-me "Forever "Bike:

It would have been more appropriate to compare the Tresca to my plastic Specialized, inasmuch as the latter bike is my dedicated park racer, and the overall demeanor of the former is quite sporting.  (Note saddle-to-bar drop, for instance.)  The Litespeed on the other hand is my middle-aged-guy-reliving-his-20-something-dreams bike, and it has come to occupy a special place in my heart.  You may think it ugly--the decals admittedly are, and the silver-to-crabon fade on the fork is embarrassingly turn-of-the millennium--but sweet hairy Jeebus do I love this bike.  It's been awhile since I've had a road bike I felt compelled to dote on as opposed to just maintain, but this is it, and lately I've been doing stuff like replacing the brake hoods and changing the brake pads.  (So far the SwissStop greens I just got feel great and I think they'll be even better once I run them in.)  All of this means it's not the ideal bike with which to compare the Tresca, but basically the Specialized needs a new chain and I haven't gotten around to installing it yet.

So how did the Tresca compare to the "Forever" Bike?  Well obviously I liked the "Forever" bike better, it would be weird if I didn't.  But it was hard to say how much better I liked it since my first ride on the Tresca had involved all the typical new bike futzing.  So on Sunday morning I headed out on the Tresca again and did the exact same ride I had done on the Litespeed:

I liked the Tresca even more this time.  I mean yes I still like the Litespeed better of course, but I had also kind of expected the Tresca to be a huge letdown in comparison and this wasn't even remotely the case.  One reason for this is that by now I had everything pretty much dialed in so I could just ride without thinking about it.  Another reason was this:

Gloves.

See, I ride without gloves--unless it's cold of course.  I also generally use cork handlebar tape, and the tape on the Tresca is (according to the spec sheet), something called "Fizik Microtex SuperLight (classic)."  While I do like the texture, it is also pretty thin stuff, and by the end of that first ride my hands felt kind of fatigued.  So I wore gloves this time, which solved the problem.  At the end of the ride I felt great, and I felt great about the bike.  Obviously at 80 miles its still wildly immature to make definitive pronouncements, but let's just say that if I'd bought this bike I'd be feeling very good at my purchase right now.

Speaking of which, why would you buy this bike?  Well, firstly, you'd buy it if you wanted a road racing bicycle.  This is not an "endurance road bike" or anything like that--which is not to say it's uncomfortable, far from it.  It's just that, as you can see from the fit, this is a road racing bicycle with a short head tube that puts you in a fairly aggressive position.  The bike I'm riding is a size medium, and at 5'10" I'm pretty much right in the middle of the height range they recommend:

The sizing feels great to and I'm right where I'd want to be for racing, but if I wanted to be more upright I'd have to flip the stem--not that there's anything wrong with that, but if you're starting from scratch with a new bike and you want your bars higher you'd obviously go for a frame with a different fit.

So again, we're talking race bike here, and it's on this basis I'm evaluating the bike.  Sometimes people are tempted to lump all drop-bar bikes together, and they start making critiques like, "It doesn't have enough tire clearance," or "the head tube's too short."  So let's not do that.

Secondly, if you're going to consider a Tresca, you not only want a race bike, but you want an aluminum race bike.  So why would you want an aluminum race bike?  Well, on balance aluminum race bikes are cheaper than crabon, while still being plenty light and all the rest of it.  Yes, there lots of relatively affordable crabon bikes out there now, but it's still fair to say if you're looking for a go-fast bike you'll get more for your money from aluminum.

Also, not to be reductive, but there's also just something cool about aluminum bikes.  Certainly some people find them objectionable, but I happen to be one of those people who has always liked them, and who prefers the overall sensibility of metal to crabon.  (Again, I fully acknowledge I'm being purely emotional here, but it would be foolish of us to discount the emotional nature of our bicycle purchases.)  In fact, when I was looking for a dedicated park racing bike I fully intended to get an aluminum one, but as I've mentioned before the plastic Specialized practically fell into my lap, and when a crabon bike with Dura Ace falls into your lap you don't push it off just because you think aluminum's "cool."  Also, the Specialized came in black and it has a threaded bottom bracket shell, so despite being plastic it checked pretty much all my other boxes.

In any case, speaking of my boxes, when I was surveying the market for aluminum road racing bikes I found there weren't that many of them that checked them all.  In fact there weren't very many aluminum road racing bicycles period, which I gather is why Tresca thought they could start a new bike company.  I didn't much care whether the bike had 105 or Ultegra since all that stuff works pretty much the same, but one important one was a threaded bottom bracket.  I liked the idea of the Specialized Allez, but I believe it had a press-fit bottom bracket.  I also liked the Cannondale CAAD-whatever-they're-up-to (I've owned three Cannondales over the years and loved them all), but they also have some kind of wacky bottom bracket.  Same with the Trek Emonda.  At a certain point I just reconciled myself to the fact I'd probably wind up with some sort of newfangled bottom bracket, and told myself maybe they're much better now and I was just being characteristically retro-grouchy.  (I'm sure someone will chime in with other awesome aluminum bikes I overlooked, but frankly after the plastic bike fell into my lap I stopped caring.)

All of this to say that if you're me one year ago, and if plastic bikes with Dura Ace don't fall into your lap, you're a potential Tresca customer.  I'd certainly have considered one if I knew about them back then, and when they asked me if I wanted to try one I said "Yes!" for precisely that reason.  Certainly pricewise they compare favorably to the other bikes I mentioned above, and I also appreciate the following:

• The Threaded Bottom Bracket: Evidently they originally designed the bike with a PF30 but decided to go to a threaded to avoid potential creaking.  This is good, because you really can't go wrong with an old-fashioned threaded bottom bracket;
• Rim Brakes: I have no problem with disc brakes.  I fully acknowledge this is the way road bikes are going and that one day I too will probably have a road bike with disc brakes.  At the same time, as Tresca points out, rim brakes work, and they work well.  I'm sure for plenty of people a rim brake road bike is a deal-breaker, and I also know there are people out there who really benefit from discs over rims.  At the same time, there are also plenty of people like me who are in no hurry to change, who have bins full of rim brake components and accessories, and who aren't doing rainy 10-mile high-speed mountain descents on crabon rims on a regular basis.  In other words, it is possible to acknowledge discs as important technology while at the same time thinking rim brakes are a selling point;
• Component Choice: Tresca proudly point out they spec all brand-name stuff on the bike.  Frankly I'd be surprised if there was any difference in quality between the Fizik bars and stem on this bike and the Specialized-branded stuff on my plastic bike.  At the same time, if you're a paying customer and not a jaded bike blogger, there's no denying it's nice to have a bike with parts you recognize on it.  It's all stuff you can look up online, read reviews about, price check, etc.  This is even true of the cheapest bike, which is what I'm riding.  (By the way, it's hard to see why you'd go beyond the cheapest bike, since the 105 stuff is great, it's as light a bike as you could possibly need even without anything fancy on it, and you might as well save the extra money for a second set of wheels.)
• General Compatibility: The frame has newfangled internal cable routing, but what with electronic shifting and all the rest of it, in 2019 I don't think it's possible to market a bike without it.  Other than that, the bike takes standard parts.  There are no D-shaped seatposts or proprietary cockpits or anything like that.  This is good if you're a home mechanic, or a longtime racer with lots of parts at home.

So there it is.  As I mentioned, with only 80 miles of riding on the bike I've barely gotten to know it, but so far I've only got good things to say about it.  I still need to ride it back-to-back with my plastic race bike, switch wheels, and all that stuff.  I also need to try it in an actual competitive Fredding event, and as luck would have it there's still one more park race this season.  Anyway, I'll keep you apprised, and if you have any questions feel free to ask.

Would you look at that, it's Friday already, where did the time go, etc.

Many exciting things are awheel here at Tan Tenovo headquarters!

Firstly, today's your last day to enter the Jones SWB Giveaway Contest:

I'm not even linking to the contest rules because I can't handle any more entries.  Just know that if your entry is e-postmarked after 11:59pm today (my time obviously) then I won't consider it.  Flipping through, I will say there are some worthy potential recipients so it's going to be a difficult decision on my part.  Then again, a lot of you are selfish people who don't deserve a bike, so that does make things a bit easier for me.

Secondly, the Tresca came yesterday!

Not to be confused with the soft drink:

Oh, Tresca's in London, and they also threw in some local delicacies:

As soon as the bike arrived I put it together, and this morning I took it out for a ride:

I should point out that my crappy photos don't do the bike justice.  Specifically, while it may look like it's painted grey and black, the "grey" is in fact raw aluminum, which looks really cool.  (At least I think it does, and you've probably noticed I like my bikes either black or metal color.)  Anyway, you can see it better on their Instagram.

As for sweeping pronouncements, I'm not going to make any after only one ride, but let's say for now that I enjoyed that ride very much and I'm looking forward to many more.

Then, if all that wasn't exciting enough, when I got home from my ride two (2) packages were waiting for me.  One of them was this package of brake pads:

See, I'm tuning the braking on my new-to-me "forever" bike (I love this bike and want everything about it to be perfect) and for reasons I won't bore you with I wanted to try these somewhat hard-to-find brake pads.

The other package contained something else for my "forever" bike:

As you may recall, I received the bike with a pair of Mavic Scaryums, which bike dorks know have a bushing in the freehub that can eventually wear out and shriek loudly.  While the freehub in mine is working just fine, there is some play in there, and even though it's extremely easy to open the whole thing up and lube it preemptively from time to time I'm much more the "set it and forget it" type.  So what you see above is an aftermarket kit, available on eBay, that replaces that bushing with a bearing.  I find all of this tremendously exciting, which should give you a good idea of where I'm at in life.  We'll see if it works.

And with that I'm going to sequester myself and spend all weekend reading Jones essay submissions.  Ride safe, ride safely, and above all, ride safe this weekend.

Love,


--Tan Tenovo

I Ride Bikes On Weekdays So You Don't Have To

So the Tresca I was expecting yesterday...

...didn't come.  Not sure what happened but I think it has something to do with customs or something like that (it's coming from the UK), so I'm just going to go ahead and blame Donald Trump and Boris Johnson for it all.  Anyway, Tresca have been very attentive throughout the process, and I'm confident it will arrive soon.  Rest assure I'll let you know the moment I've thrown a leg over it.

Meanwhile, yesterday I mentioned I'm going to miss the Jones SWB once I've given it away, but having spent this morning aboard the Jones LWB I'm feeling much better about it:

Today's ride was a plainclothes ramble featuring mostly dirt and some token singletrack, and it was so pleasant I'd probably have gone even further if only I hadn't spent the first part of the morning finally converting the wheels to tubeless, which is something I should have done as soon as I took the bike out of the box, but which I didn't, because I'm lazy.  The tube-ectomy was a fairly straightforward affair--the bike comes with tubeless-rated tires and taped rims so all you've got to do is supply the valves and the sealant and that's it--but one of the tires was a bit more snug than the other so getting it seated properly took a little bit of doing.  However, you should bear in mind I was using just a regular old-fashioned floor pump, and I'm sure if I had been using one of those tubeless-compatible pumps I'd have shaved a good 15 minutes off the process.  (I really should get one of those already, I don't know why I create the extra work for myself.)

Anyway, theoretically a tubeless setup has less rolling resistance, and there's no doubt that dispensing with two massive 29+ inner tubes nets you some weight savings (can you net an absence of something?), so between that and the smugness that comes with completing a tubeless setup with an old-fashioned floor pump I was feeling positively buoyant--until I rolled through a great big pile of crap roughly 10 minutes into my ride:

This was a tremendous distraction and it mocked me with every wheel revolution, so I stopped at the first available water source in order to wash it off:

This may look bucolic, but it's basically a litter-strewn stream in Yonkers that comes out of a pipe:

First I gave it a little soaking, then I placed the wheel between two rocks where a little eddy was forming.  This sort of served as a spin cycle, and after a few moments of agitation aided by my judicious application of a stick my tire was clean again.

The rest of the ride was blissfully feces-free:

Though I did, despite giving plenty of auditory warning as I approached, scare the absolute crap out of someone walking on the trail.  I'm talking actual terror.  Like the memory of her screams will probably keep me awake tonight.

I think I just need to wear a cowbell from now on.

New Outside Column, Jones Giveaway Update, And More!

If you haven't heard, here in New York City our goofball mayor suggested he'd consider a law forcing Citi Bike riders to wear helmets for some reason, so my latest Outside column is about why this is completely stupid:

In fact, I was so annoyed that I dedicated my radio show yesterday to the same subject, and you can listen here.

My guest was Charles Komanoff, who's like really smart.  Also, he's in his "80th decade," he had just ridden the NYC Century the day before, and he rode me off his wheel through downtown Brooklyn after the show.

Of course, what you're really here for is to find out what's going on with my Jones SWB giveaway, which you've still got time to enter.  So far I've received numerous applications, and I must say I wish I could give each and every one of you a bike.  (Well, okay, not all of you, some of you clearly don't deserve a free bike.)  Alas, I've only got one to give, and choosing a winner will easily be the hardest decision I've had to make since choosing my breakfast this morning.  (Froot Loops with avocado slices in case you're wondering.)  Anyway, I'll keep you posted.

I'll also say that I took a look at the SWB yesterday and two things happened:

1) I got a shot of "gifters' remorse" because it hit me that I really am going to miss that bike;
B) I noticed the chain is in seriously bad shape, which means I may have to replace it--or, more likely, give it to you as is and let you deal with it.

Still, despite number 1, there's no way around the fact I've gotta make room.  In fact, assuming we don't miss each other somehow, today a well-known private package delivery service should be arriving at my door with a new test bike from a new bike company in London called Tresca:

I'm looking forward to trying it as I'm a fan of aluminum race bikes.  In fact, when I was looking for a new park racing bike I figured that's the way I was going to go, but then a nice plastic bike with Dura Ace practically fell into my lap and how could I say no?  Now not only will I get to ride the plastic bike and the aluminum bike back-to-back, but I'll also have one road bike in every flavor (steel, titanium, carbon, and aluminum)--though to be honest I'm sort of worried about that because once that happens you've officially attained a state of uber-Fredness from which there is no return.

Anyway I'll let you know how I like it.

I'm Giving Away My Jones SWB! Here's How To Get It!

I don't have the time, energy, or professionalism to link to the prior posts, but if you've been paying attention you know that Jeff Jones has generously authorized me to give away--yes, give away--the Jones Plus SWB Complete I've been riding (and adoring!) for the past year:

So if I love it so much why am I giving it away?  Well, Jones recently launched the LWB Complete (it comes in knobby and smooth tire version), and sent me one to try:

And after riding both back-to-back I've decided the LWB suits me ever so slightly more:

Therefore I told Jeff Jones I was ready to send the SWB back to him--or I could give it away to one (1) lucky reader, and being the magnanimous fellow he is he opted for the latter.

Okay, so how do you get the bike?  Well, it's simple.  All you have to do is apply, and here's the form:

Instructions

Download the form, print it out, fill it out by hand, and then email it to me.  If you can't find my email YOU DON'T DESERVE THE BIKE.  Supplementary materials (to wit: the essay) may be typed and included in the email as an attachment.  You have until Friday, September 13th to apply, and I can take as long as I want to decide the winner.

Legal, Disclaimers, Etc.

I've ridden this bike a lot so I make no warranties as to its condition, safety, etc.  You will receive it in "as-is" condition.  This bike has been ridden by the world's greatest living cycling writer, which means it is incredibly valuable.  Therefore, if you sell the bike within 90 days of receiving it ("flip") the bicycle I am entitled to 100% of the profit plus a 20% surcharge for attempting to monetize my greatness for your personal gain.  By submitting you allow me to reproduce the entirety of your entry materials on this blog with no compensation to you.  You also acknowledge I have no burden of fairness, and that while I do not discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, etc. I will ultimately pick a winner based on all manner of completely subjective and meaningless criteria, including but not limited to your failure to address me with the appropriate level of respect, and/or your my own disgust at your transparent sycophancy.  Also, if I decide to award you the bike, we meet in person, and I decide I don't like you, I am well within my rights to take it back.  (If we meet in person, I decide I don't like you, and I take the bike back, you will be assessed a $50 convenience charge.)

The Bicycle

It's a size medium.  It is black.  I keep my pedals, bottle cage, saddle bag, saddle, and Jones handlebar purse.  (I will include the stock saddle.)  If I award the bicycle to someone who cannot pick it up I will ship the bike to you at your expense.  However, inasmuch as this is a completely unfair contest (see above), you're in a much better position to win the bike if you're able to come get it.  Plus, if the circumstances are right, and it's a nice day and all that, maybe you can bring your pedals and we can do some sort of inaugural ride.  (Though I also wouldn't rule out your throwing it in the bed of your pickup and fucking right off.)

So there it is! 

On an unrelated note, recently I shared my Outside column about department store bikes, and a commenter commented thuswise:

Well I looked up said bike, and on paper anyway I'm not sure how it's any better than this, which is available at a certain gigantic mom-and-pop-smothering retail behemoth:

It even lets you "concur the hills"!

Though admittedly it doesn't come with a titium stem:

Hey, no bike is perfect.

New Outside Column, And More!

As a semi-professional bike blogger and semi-competent parent I'm in a strange place at the moment: summer is, practically speaking, over, and yet school has not yet begun, which means I'm in a sort of limbo.  This is by way of explaining why I have not yet formally announced the rules for my upcoming Jones SWB Bike Giveaway Extravaganza.  But I will be doing so shortly.

In the meantime, here's my latest column for Outside, which is about why you shouldn't ride like an asshole:

Sure it's annoying when people step out into the bike lane, but shouting "Bike lane!" at them instead of, like, feathering your brakes and altering your path slightly is really the pinnacle of douchery.

Speaking of summer, as I mentioned I ended up bringing my new-to-me "forever bike" along with me on vacation, and I'm pleased that I did:

Not only was it ideal for this sort of thing:

But was also sufficient for bacon portaging:

And for some gravel road exploration:

Though at one point I did get in over my head and had to turn around:

We've been vacationing in this same spot for the past four years, but we're never there for very long so while I'm learning my way around it's a slow process akin to picking up "Moby Dick" once a year and reading it for a few hours.  Certainly the Jones would have allowed me to press further, and the more familiar I become with the area the more likely it is I'll choose that bike to accompany me.

Still, as I mentioned, I've grown extremely fond of my vintage Fred sled, and our time away together only served to strengthen the relationship.  Indeed, my only regret is not replacing the worn Campagnolo Ergo hoods before I left, as they were beginning to hang off the levers like oversized hoodies.  Instead, I installed new ones immediately upon my return, and it's like riding a new bike.  So I guess what I'm saying is, if you've been pining for a new bike, just get some new brake hoods and you'll be 90% of the way there.

Of course, the ultimate would have been taking both the Fred sled and the Jones, but I was on vacation and I wanted to keep it simple.  Also, I brought the kids' bikes with me, even though they invariably (and understandably) choose lake time over saddle time.  The Saris SuperClamp EX handled two bikes out back with no problem:

And the runt of the litter rode up top:

Getting the roof rack to work with the tiny bike wasn't as straightforward as it looks, but by reversing a few things I made it happen--though the two (2) bells and the penguin horn made mincemeat of my fuel economy.

I should also mention that on one rainy day we did take a day trip to the New York State Museum in Albany, our glorious capital, which was even more interesting than I expected it to be--and it even had some token bike content!

I actually set off the alarm when I leaned in for a closer look:

Hey, it's no Classic Cycle, but what New Yorker wouldn't dork out over a historical century ride rest stop list?

Here's a closer look:

Roughly five seconds of popular search engine jockeying reveals what at least one of those establishments looked like at the time:

And just think, they did it all without gravel bikes.

And that wasn't the only museum we visited, either.  Did you know there's a replica of the Star Trek set in Ticonderoga?  Well we didn't, but we stumbled upon it while availing ourselves of the local laundromat:

I'm not even remotely a Trekkie, but my elder son and I took the tour anyway, and we both thoroughly enjoyed it:

Sure, I could have taken my son to visit Fort Ticonderoga right down the road, but Star Trek is obviously a more significant component of our national identity.

Anyway, upon returning to the city I pivoted to my plastic bike and partook in the final club race of the season, which I'm pleased to report I passed:

This bike has just a fraction of the personality of the "forever bike" (though that could be because, apart from a longer stem, it's set up exactly the way it emerged from the box), and when I'm setting out for a road ride I choose the latter almost exclusively.  Nevertheless, the plastic bike is a truly stupendous park racer.  I doubt that it's meaningfully faster than the "forever bike," but when you hop onto a bike that's probably four pounds lighter it sure feels that way.  Also, while I adore the ker-THUNK of Campagnolo 10 speed (not sure the 11 and 12 speed groups have the same ker-THUNK, I have yet to try them), batting at a brand-new Dura Ace shifter is so fast and smooth it leaves you wondering what the point of electronic shifting is.  (I loved the Di2 on the Tan Tenovo, but I also don't miss it at all.)

Then, after reading James Huang's story on Engin in CyclingTips, I hopped aboard my own:

Apart from the builder, this bike has virtually nothing in common with the bike in the story.  Also, what with its primitive 135mm spacing and QR axles, "narrow" tires, rigid fork, and one-speed drivetrain, it's hopelessly dated and wildly off-trend.

In other words, it's perfect.

New Outside Column!

Still not done with vacation.  Hard to form words.  I did make an Outside thing though and here it is:

There are no crappy bikes, just crappy people. 

Even so, I did not take a department store bike on my vacation.  Instead, after much deliberation, I decided to take my vintage new-to-me "forever bike" instead of the Jones:

Overall, I'm very pleased with my choice.  For one thing, I must confess I've grown to positively adore this (almost) 20 year-old hunk of titanium and I'm relishing riding it on a daily basis.  For another, this is a family vacation and realistically I wasn't going to be undertaking the sorts of all-day explorations for which the Jones is best suited anyway.  Instead I'm waking up early, undertaking short jaunts, and then spending the rest of the day swimming and grilling--and when you're carefully rationing your leisure time a road bike is the way to go.  (Indeed, carefully rationing your leisure time is the very essence of being a roadie, a default state that, for all my be-jorted ramblings, I seem unable to escape.)

Finally, speaking of the Jones, as I mentioned I will be giving away the SWB:

Rest assured I've been meditating on how best to do so during my vacation, and you can expect a formal announcement as to how you can put forth a claim on this bike in the coming days.

Okay, that's enough mental effort from me.  Getting hard to think and type.  Back to vacapaoierapais,,,,,,apdse