Andrew Coggan on saddle height

A recent leg issue caused me to take another look at my saddle height (turns out what I have always used based on feel, zen, and cupcakes is close to the sciency recommendation) and I came across this advice from the bike geek of bike geeks...well, Zinn might give him some competition but here it is anyway:

Step 1: put on your cycling shoes.

Step 2: measure from the ground up to your greater trochanter. Example: 92cm

Step 3: take the desired percentage of this number (96-100). Example: 88.3cm to 92cm

Step 4: subtract the length of the crank arm. Example: -175mm = 70.8cm to 74.5cm

Step 5: set your saddle height as measured from the center of the b.b. to the lowest point on the saddle to this value.

Step 6: adjust as desired/necessary.

(If step 6 sounds too 'unscientific', consider this: for me, optimal saddle height based on, e.g., the approach of Price and Donne actually represents a range nearly 4 cm wide.) 

Still missing a feather boa and wheels.

Awesome crank, not so awesome picture.

The Nature Boy will be done this week. Tyree is building me some Stans Alpha 340 rims to Surly SS hubs and I will be well on my way to having a rideable cross bike. This is easily the longest a frame has sat unridden in my house.

In the foot care blurb of the week, I am discovering neglect is rarely the way to cure what ails you, despite being the easiest "solution". I have had a painful, cracked heelskinthing for close to nine months. I quit ignoring it two days ago and fixed it with what could only be called a mini pedicure. I'm an idiot...the foot is fine now.

What the hell is a Fipster?

The running deal is going pretty well, I spent the first couple weeks doing very short runs completely barefoot.

Then I decided to stop halfway home on my commute home and run in a parking lot in my socks. It was an odd decision and I reaped zero benefits from it.

I somehow got a splinter and the socks rubbed the bottom of my foot raw in a way pavement had not yet been able to.

 The ride back home was painful. So painful. The ball of my foot was on fire for a few hours until I dug out the wooden culprit.

This experience led me to order some super thin sandals (Unshoes for those who care) to run in which have a Vibram sole without the retarted looking alien toe fingers. I ran 20 minutes this afternoon, my longest yet...calves still get sore during the run but my feet feel like they are better able to support themselves.
Sweet.

Fipster - exercising hipster. One who eagerly engages in any newish trendy athletic activity that might elicit approval from preferred peer group. Coming to urbandictionary soon. Copyright Melissa.

I might as well continue this disjointed post with some bike news:

1. The Bici Coop Tour de Birmingham alleycat was this past weekend. I stood on the cinder block sprinter's podium, did knuckle push ups, drank beer, stared at chickens, and posed like a very manly iron statue. Great time, worthwhile use of a ten dollar bill for sure. Too bad I suck at short races.

2. The Nature Boy is still in the living room half finished. Meh. I want it all the way finished soonish.

3. Gooch propositioned me to race with him on his tandem for the cross races. I'm in. Hopefully he still is in a couple months.

Surly hub chainlines

120mm - 43.5mm chainline
130mm - 47.5mm chainline

dammit, i dislike measuring chainlines. i think my eyes are crossing.

nature boy is in the house. right here. in the dining room.

using XTR vs with cable adapters until they make me mad enough to join the cant stop wont stop clan.

more cohesive post with pictures, stick figures, and hieroglyphics if i am feeling up to it when it is not so close to an old man's bedtime.

Singlespeed CX: not as hip as PBR but close.

Rumors abound that Bamacross is getting with the program and doing a singlespeed class this year. Might as well build a bike and do a couple of the races I can ride to from the house. Yeah, I could do the whole convert the mountain bike over thing but that just makes it mediocre at two things instead of good at one.

 I'm getting an All City Nature Boy, which will be gradually built over the next few months. I initially wrote down my planned build on a Post It but threw it away so my plans will live on here, easily changed and never lost.


Planned build:
Frame and Fork: All City Nature Boy
Headset: Cane Creek S3
Bars: Salsa Cowbell 2, Nitto Noodle, or Salsa Bell Lap. Not too sure on this one.
Stem: Something aluminum
Post: Who cares. Not carbon. Actually, a Moots post would be nice.
Saddle: Selle Italia SLR
Brakes: SRAM S500 levers and Tektro CX9 calipers
Crank: Ancient SR Suntour 165mm
Chain: KMC Z610HX. Best SS chain out there.
Wheels: Surly flip flop hubs to Stans ZTR 340 Alpha rims
Tires: Stans Raven 700x35

I'm not too familiar with cyclocross stuff so if any of this stuff blows let me know what doesn't blow that I should get instead. Much thanks.

Tour Divide time

It is yet again time for the Tour Divide - 2700 miles on a mountain bike north to south (or vice versa) across the big peaks of the Western United States. For some reason, compared to RAAM, it seems downright pleasant.

Follow the race here: Race Tracker

One can also listen to the tired ramblings of the riders here: MTBCast call ins.

VIVOBAREFOOT

In a quest to toughen up my bitch ass weak feet (this is a real condition, a close cousin of the tender foot) for bike racing and the inevitable mud hike that accompanies at least a few races during the year I have been trying to go barefoot a bit more around the house. PMBAR freakin' killed my feet, Turkey Pen Gap > me. I have done well so far, my feet are dirty and I stepped on a toothpick earlier.

More importantly, my feet felt good even after hiking for 7 miles in gravel filled shoes while we were in Kansas.

I have never really like running but I think I am going to give it another shot this summer. I feel like a huge lemming being intrigued by Born To Run, but damn there is a huge pile of research out there advocating going without the clodhoppers. From what I have seen in the physical therapy clinic I work in, there is little connection between all the "super shoes" out there and  a decrease in foot pathology among runners.

I guess I will just go run in socks at the UAB track here in Birmingham. I bought some Vivo Barefoot Oak's to wear to work but am hesitant to run in my non smell bad work shoes. Damn, they are awesomely comfortable. Some of the best shoes I have had. No, I did not pay full price.

The "training plan" is to go and run some on days I don't ride to work. I have done this a few times so far and felt good. I ran with the dogs some when I took them out at night and ran once to the store to get beer...hey, I wanted beer and it seemed like the most efficient way to get it fast. Oh, and yes, you can run holding a six pack without frothing it up. The key is a gentle stride.

This should be a good experiment and I will try it and keep it semi documented on here.

Oh yeah, the I9s are here and setup on the bike...first ride tomorrow.