TD'12 Race Discussion

[DenisVTT]

Would it be legal to find some random guy/gal on a bike out there in Grants and buy a pedal from him/her?

[cc4005]

He wasn't able to find flat pedals at Wal-mart? Normally these stores stock at least one kind of BMX pedal.

I checked online just after it was posted as a pedal problem and walmart shows stock in Grants for basic flats. Could be bad info, or maybe he doesn't consider it a viable option?

[Jilleo]

I know last year at about the same spot Russ McBride had to hitch a ride to Albuquerque to find a replacement pedal. But he was NoBo so he had like 2400 miles to go and flat pedals wouldn't have done it.

Flat pedals could get him to Silver City, or all the way to AW if needed. He could even get a cheap pair of running shoes at Wal-mart to make the pedaling more comfortable. In a city like Grants he might not have much of a choice.

Maybe the Wal-mart is really out of stock. If he is laid up because he's not willing to consider platform pedals as a viable option, honestly, I think that's a little silly. I rode the entire 2,700 miles on flats. They're not useless.

[cousinmosquito]

Looking at the pictures of Craig's rig, the pedals appear to be XTR. I'm really surprised that these died on him. When I heard that he was having pedal problems, I really expected them to be Crank Bros..

That's really too bad. I hope he can come up with a solution ASAP! Go Craig!

Yeah, its Crank bros that have the bad rep, but XTR failure is a lot more common than you'd think. My buddy experienced it last year, about 20 mins ride from the start of a race. I had to push him, while he pedalled one-legged, into a side-wind so strong that they had to cancel the race due to crashing pine trees.  http://jeffsbike.blogspot.co.nz/2011/11/real-challenge.html (pix). The problem with cheap chain store BMXers is that the pedals are often of a smaller diameter than standard : (  What a complete bummer for Craig. I hope he comes up with something.

[Cosmo K]

I've had to swap a flat pedal in...I used some duct tape like the old Power bands.  Worked fine for a while.

[SimonK]

Flat pedals could get him to Silver City, or all the way to AW if needed. He could even get a cheap pair of running shoes at Wal-mart to make the pedaling more comfortable. In a city like Grants he might not have much of a choice.

Maybe the Wal-mart is really out of stock. If he is laid up because he's not willing to consider platform pedals as a viable option, honestly, I think that's a little silly. I rode the entire 2,700 miles on flats. They're not useless.

Might be that his subconcious is telling it'd be a good idea to give his body a break in Grants while he mulls the problem over for a while. If Ollie had made a convincing break before they arrived in town (and Craig had been maxed out for several days) the pedal might just be the final straw.

Hope he gets it swapped out and is on the road soon.  

[mforness3000]

Flat pedals could get him to Silver City, or all the way to AW if needed. He could even get a cheap pair of running shoes at Wal-mart to make the pedaling more comfortable. In a city like Grants he might not have much of a choice.

Maybe the Wal-mart is really out of stock. If he is laid up because he's not willing to consider platform pedals as a viable option, honestly, I think that's a little silly. I rode the entire 2,700 miles on flats. They're not useless.

Well, put yourself in someone else's pedals. Going from clipless to flat pedals is really difficult when all you've ridden is clipless.

[2wheeler]

there must be someone in Grants that can weld aluminum a rig up something?

Although at4:30pm on a Friday he might have to go to the local tavern to find somebody.

[DenisVTT]

Easiest way would be to flag down some guy on a bike and offer him $100 or whatever for one pedal. But I'm not sure it would be within the rules. Or that's there are that many people biking in Grants.

Edit: OK, wouldn't be the easiest thing to do, since I doubt some random bike would have compatible pedals to existing cleats. But flats would work. Anyway, might not be legal.

[lonefrontranger]

There are plenty of people in Grants who bike, many of whom do the Mt. Taylor Quad recreationally every winter.

The question is, do they have SPD pedals, and would that count as outside assistance?  I don't know the rules well enough.  My husband has tons of family and high school friends there tho.  Dr. Valdivia (sp?) is where I'd start; he's a local MD and avid cyclist.

[SimonK]

I've had to swap a flat pedal in...I used some duct tape like the old Power bands.  Worked fine for a while.

One of the guys at the Kiwi Brevet did the same thing for the last 205 km (with a toe strap rather than duct tape). He caught me up about 30km from the finish.

This race ain't over yet.

[Jilleo]

Might be that his subconcious is telling it'd be a good idea to give his body a break in Grants while he mulls the problem over for a while. If Ollie had made a convincing break before they arrived in town (and Craig had been maxed out for several days) the pedal might just be the final straw.

Hope he gets it swapped out and is on the road soon.  

This theory makes sense. If you're already pressed up against the bleeding edge, any setback is going to feel like a huge blow. Maybe he feels like he doesn't have the steam to chase Ollie, and at this point he'd rather just wait for better options. Ah, armchair speculation.

As far as switching from clipless to platforms being uncomfortable, I don't disagree, but if platforms are an option I don't understand why anyone would reject them when there aren't other options. In 2009 I broke my saddle a little north of Grants. Actually what happened is a huge chunk of foam fell off, so every time I tried to lean forward into my aero bars, I slipped off the foam into the hard edge of the nose. That was uncomfortable. But I didn't consider it enough of a problem to bother waiting out other options. I think if you're intent on forward motion, minor discomforts become less of a concern.

As for flagging someone down and offering to buy a pedal, or even knocking on random doors and asking —  that seems like a gray area as far as rules go. They emphasize relying on commercial services, but make no specific mention of bartering. Still, I'd be leery of trying it because of the "no private resupply" wording. Buying from private citizens may fall into this stipulation.

[mtbcast]

Calls today: Jim Stansbury called in from Lima. Wondering who rides down Fleecer Ridge? Has been struggling w/ sore throat, but moving out this morning. Fred Arden called in from Pinedale stocking up for Atlantic City. Recaps the last couple days. He’s managing his Achilles swelling. Things are going well. Fixie Dave Nice called in from Colter Bay. He’s riding a lot better than after the last couple of days.

Not a lot of calls today. We'll see what happens this evening.

[2wheeler]

This theory makes sense. If you're already pressed up against the bleeding edge, any setback is going to feel like a huge blow. Maybe he feels like he doesn't have the steam to chase Ollie, and at this point he'd rather just wait for better options. Ah, armchair speculation.

As far as switching from clipless to platforms being uncomfortable, I don't disagree, but if platforms are an option I don't understand why anyone would reject them when there aren't other options. In 2009 I broke my saddle a little north of Grants. Actually what happened is a huge chunk of foam fell off, so every time I tried to lean forward into my aero bars, I slipped off the foam into the hard edge of the nose. That was uncomfortable. But I didn't consider it enough of a problem to bother waiting out other options. I think if you're intent on forward motion, minor discomforts become less of a concern.

As for flagging someone down and offering to buy a pedal, or even knocking on random doors and asking —  that seems like a gray area as far as rules go. They emphasize relying on commercial services, but make no specific mention of bartering. Still, I'd be leery of trying it because of the "no private resupply" wording. Buying from private citizens may fall into this stipulation.

This could easily be overcome by having a third party business act as a go between.

[lonefrontranger]

As for flagging someone down and offering to buy a pedal, or even knocking on random doors and asking —  that seems like a gray area as far as rules go. They emphasize relying on commercial services, but make no specific mention of bartering. Still, I'd be leery of trying it because of the "no private resupply" wording. Buying from private citizens may fall into this stipulation.

Agreed, that would be my interpretation too.  Also the closest thing I've ever done to this was one lap of the Firecracker 50, so I highly doubt I'm in any position to offer advice.

[AmyL]

Pio-O-Neer closes at 4:00, and is closed today for special reasons.

Daily Pie (now called Good Pie Cafe), however, is open for dinner 5-8 tonight.  Friday is the only night they serve dinners.  So if Ollie wants it, he can have a big meal with a few pieces of pie, in an air conditioned room.  Will be interesting to see if he stops.

[ptb in san diego]

This could easily be overcome by having a third party business act as a go between.

Uh-oh ...  time for a new rule ...  "Thinking like a lawyer is not allowed."

[Pooh]

Easiest way would be to flag down some guy on a bike and offer him $100 or whatever for one pedal. But I'm not sure it would be within the rules. Or that's there are that many people biking in Grants.

Edit: OK, wouldn't be the easiest thing to do, since I doubt some random bike would have compatible pedals to existing cleats. But flats would work. Anyway, might not be legal.

Looks like he's back at Walmart - maybe the cheap flats are the only option.

[DenisVTT]

Uh-oh ...  time for a new rule ...  "Thinking like a lawyer is not allowed."

     

[RossC]

Looks like he's back at Walmart - maybe the cheap flats are the only option.

It will be a real shame if this all comes down to a mechanical with the finishing line in sight.