NEW! Zinn & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance 4th edition

Boulder, CO, USA – February 21, 2013 – Lennard Zinn has updated his best-selling book Zinn & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance, the world’s most helpful and comprehensive guide to bicycle repair and maintenance. From basic repairs like how to fix a flat tire to advanced overhauls of drivetrains and brakes, Zinn’s clearly illustrated guide makes every bicycle repair and maintenance job easy for everyone. Zinn & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance, 4th Ed. is now available in bookstores, bike shops, and online. To preview the book and see what’s new, visit http://www.velopress.com.

* Basics: How to fix a flat tire, lube a bicycle chain, adjust the brakes
* Emergency repairs: How to fix a broken chain, tighten loose spokes, repair a bent derailleur
* Easy shifting: How to clean, lube, and adjust shifters and cables for smooth shifting
* Wheels: How to install a new tire, change a cassette, true a wheel, replace broken spokes, build your own wheels
* Overhaul: How to repair pedals, chains and chainrings, saddles, handlebars, stems, headsets, forks
* New tech: How to maintain 11-speed systems, electronic shifters, disc brakes, new bottom bracket formats
* Cyclocross: How to set up a ‘cross bike for racing, select the right components, and make quick repairs
* Troubleshooting: How to figure out what’s wrong with any bike and fix it

Click here to read the full description

Tech Tip: Maintain your Chain

The simplest way to maintain a chain is to frequently wipe it down and then lubricate it. If you do this before or after every ride or two, your chain will stay clean, run smoothly, and last longer, without needing to use a solvent. To simplify this procedure, I recommend leaving a pair of rubber gloves, a rag, and some chain lube next to your bike. Whenever you return from a ride, put on the gloves, wipe and lube the chain, and put your bike away; the bike can be standing on the ground or in a bike stand. It takes maybe a minute, your hands stay clean, and your bike is ready for the next ride.
With a rag in your hand, grasp the lower length of the chain (between the bottom of the chainring and the lower jockey wheel of the rear derailleur). Turn the crank backward a number of revolutions, pulling the chain through the rag. Lubricate each chain roller by turning the crank and running the chain past the dripping tip of the chain-lube bottle. Wipe the chainrings, cogs, front derailleur, and jockey wheels while you’re at it, and the entire drivetrain will keep running smoothly.

I got my first win at Valmont Bike Park!

I got my first win at Valmont Bike Park on Saturday Nov. 17 in the 55+ cyclocross race. Click here to see more.  It was very satisfying to finally win on that course, especially since the course was set way differently than it has been in the past, and it didn’t have much in the way of power sections where you could pass other riders, so it did not suit my strengths. I also don’t think I had ever beaten Gary Thacker before, the guy who has been dominating this category for the past few years in Colorado and is a former national cyclocross champion. All in all, a very good day in what has been a great season for me. I have four wins and four second places out of ten race starts this season. And in US Gran Prix of Cyclocross races I have two wins (in Ft. Collins, CO) and a 3rd and a 4th place (in Louisville, KY).

-Lennard

Cyber Monday Sale at bigandtallbike.com!

Yep. It’s true. We are having a Cyber Monday sale. Get an additional 25% anything you order through http://bigandtallbike.com on Sunday November 25th or Monday November 26th. Sale items include Shoes, Clothing, Forks, handlebars, small parts, and more. Discounts do NOT apply to bikes, cranks, or wheels. Use the coupon code CYMONZ to get your discount. Remember, your order must be placed on Sunday or Monday, and you must use the coupon code at checkout to get your discount.

 

Lennard on the Podium at the USGP in Kentucky

Lennard just got back from the US Grand Prix Cyclocross race in Kentucky. While he made it onto the podium, his bike was blown over while on a repair stand and his carbon handlebar broke. At least his custom magnesium cyclocross bike made it unscathed. Check out the pics. Here is a link to Lennard’s column in Velonews with more information about the event. http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/11/news/cyclocross/lennard-zinn-gallery-neutral-support-and-podium-dangers-at-the-derby-city-cup_264915

 

Lennard Zinn sweeps the USGP races Oct. 13-14!

The US Grand Prix of Cyclocross, the biggest cyclocross race series in this country, came to Colorado the weekend of October 13-14 in the form of the SmartWool USGP in Fort Collins. My daughter Emily and I raced on our magnesium custom Zinn Magster ‘cross bikes, and both of us had successful weekends. I won both days in 55+ Masters men, and Emily placed mid-pack both days in Category 2&3 women despite fighting a cold and having just moved up from Category 4 (she is still in her first year of racing).

Saturday started cool and dry and turned to pouring rain in the middle of my race. Fortunately, I had opted for tires with good tread (Dugast Typhoons) rather than fine tread, which would have been faster in the conditions at the start but which would have been sliding all over the place in the mud that formed rapidly the last two laps. I had lots of catching up to do in both races, since I started in the very back row both days. Unlike local races, in which riders are called to the line based on their points totals, the USGP in my and Emily’s categories do not have a points category of their own and don’t honor any other. Call-ups are based entirely on order that registration was received, and we registered late.

The challenge of passing all of those riders in my group plus lots of singlespeeders who were on course at the same time and had started 2 minutes ahead was great practice for me for upcoming national and world championships I’ll be doing in January. Being able to advance through traffic on a tight and technical cyclocross course is a crucial skill for success.

I am in my fourth season of racing cyclocross, and this season, since I just moved up to 55+ and will be the young guy in that category, added to the fact that the world cyclocross championships are in the USA–in Louisville, KY (the first time ever outside of Europe), I have been training for cycling for the first time in 30 years. I started racing cyclocross as a way to stay fit for cross-country ski racing in the fall, but now it has become an end in itself. And I got an early jump on the cycling season by tearing my triceps muscle in the Finlandia Hiihto and Vasaloppet ski races in Finland and Sweden in late February/early March. Instead of skiing into May, I hung up my skis after the first weekend in March, and I raced my first road season since 1982, in order to prepare for cyclocross season. My goal is to be on the podium at state, national and world championships in cyclocross this season. I am encouraged by this weekend’s results and am taking them as evidence that my training plan is working.

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Zinn Travel bike tours Italy

6/13
93k /1093mt/5hr.      58 mi/3856 vert ft

Wow.      So, this is where Michelangelo went to conceive his imagination, and give birth to a great sculpture.
The ride was pretty flat for about 30k, then the climb began. Firs gentle 4-8% (that’s gentle now), then it kicked up to 10 -15% for about 4k. It let up a little going through some towns. But the climb to the last town was steady over1 2% for 1.5k. Well, at. The turn for the town (which is a dead end on a point, I saw the sign for the “cave”, the marble mine. There’s actually several, but I think the approaches are all the same. So, there I was climbing 20% switchbacks, about 30-40 meters each. I made it  half way  up the 4th, really feeling it, when two mining trucks came, one up, behind me, and one down. I pulled into the flowers on the right and stopped , watching the trucks pass each other in a dance they must repeat all day long. The concierge told me that when they get to the top turns, there’s no room to even turn one truck so they have a place at each turn where they go into and then go up backwards, repeating this until they reach the mine. I was slightly above my destination town (see photo), and I turn and went down, but couldn’t resist going up to the town, which felt “easy” now at 6-10%. And there was a great fountain at the top! ( see photo ). So these are the white topped mountains I’ve been seeing froths distance all week if it were snow, you’ll need to bring your rock skis. home was supposed to be all downhill then a long 20k flat run home, avoiding the beach traffic. What the guide book said was when you get to the STOP sign at the bottom of the hill, in Carrara, make a left turn toward Massa. What the guide book didn’t say was as you approach the bottom get into a low gear, because when you make that left, from a full stop, your facing a 500 meter 8% uphill climb, before you reach that flat section.  Oy. The ride back to Viareggio on the alternate route was busy with traffic anyway. When I got to town, I immediately went to my new favorite Gelateria, for a dark chocolate mixed with dark cherry, and another wonderful flor that I haven’t identified yet. I’ll ask tomorrow. I cleaned and lube Sally for another ride tomorrow. Dinner at a grey restaurant. Chef’s choice, fixed price meal. Just what I was craving. Lots of fish. Pasta vongole, with clams and lots of mussels. And a mixed grilled fish and vegetables dish. I’m full, and I only had one piece of bread. Oh, and a carafe of very good house wine. I feel full, and I feel fine.
Time for. Bed soon. I’ll try to load some photos for you.

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Super Customized Low q-factor Zinn Bicycle

Dear Lennard,

A rainy day here so I’ll catch up on some stuff.   Don’t know if you ever saw this bike after Dave T. dropped the toptube and added the extra stays.  You’ll remember that it was designed for dropped pedals.   I wanted to have two bikes exactly the same so I could go back and forth between them so I switched this bike to standard-pedal cranks.  The saddle is pretty far forward because it’s 4cm higher than it was with the dropped pedals.

I set each one up according to my tests and then measure them to make sure I wasn’t fooling myself.  The tests work!!!  You could take my bike apart and I would put it back together exactly the same without measuring saddle height, reach…..anything.  That could be an interesting challenge.

You remember the tiller aerobar?  I’ve been playing around with it ever since I got it but was never perfect until I got the saddle design worked out.  It’s too sensitive, so far, to changeable winds to be practical overall, but on a calm day or a steady breeze it works.  There are no forearm pads.  Don’t really need them.  My wrists touch the bars but there’s really no weight on them, or on the tiller either really.  My other bike needs some work so I haven’t tried the tiller on it outside yet.  It should at least be more stable since the BB height is 4cm lower.

There are several cool things going on as a result of this saddle.  My upper body stays in the same position regardless of gearing.  In the past I’ve mentioned how I set the hoods for 53/12 and my hands come back on the bars as gearing decreases.  But, in the past, my upper body rose as my hands came back, not the greatest for aerodynamics.  The tiller still worked but my grip moved down progressively.

Another cool thing is that I can put the cranks in any position and they will stay there.  With stock saddles, I can put either foot down around 4:00 or 5:00 and it will go backwards up toward 3:00.  That says to me that the dead weight of my legs is more on the back leg.

I’m ready to get back to Luca now.  I think I’ve figured out how to approach him.  I got a new Concor so I could be fully informed.  I thought it looked dorky in photos with those wings on the side but it looks pretty cool in person.  But it doesn’t work as well as the old Concor for me.

I’ve got to take some photos of the pelvis model on the various saddles.  I think you’ll be surprised.

Thanks,
Ron

Cyclocross Nationals 2012

This past weekend was the Cyclocross Nationals in Wisconsin. Not as much snow as we were used to from racing cyclocross in Colorado this season, and overall a great event. Here are some photos.

Here I (Lennard Zinn) am with my longtime buddy Dag Selander (in the orange jacket) who pit-crewed for me. I switched bikes four times during the race; one time because I had a stick jammed in my rear derailleur (see photo). Dag power washed my bikes and gave me a nice, clean one almost every lap.
Last photo is with my teammates (who race different categories than me); left to right: LZ, Brandon Dwight, Pete Webber, and Greg Keller.

My custom lightweight magnesium Zinn Cyclocross bike with custom cranks, Enve carbon fiber rims, and all the lightweight components.

 

 

Following in her father’s tire tracks – Emily Zinn is kicking butt in the local ‘cross circuit.

It’s great to see a father and daughter team racing ‘cross together. Emily decided to join Lennard this year to train and race in the local Cyclocross series. Despite a snowy start to the season, the two of them have been out training together at dawn at least once a week, and racing on the weekends. Both are riding custom Zinn magnesium cyclocross bikes, and the lightweight, smooth riding bikes have helped keep the energy levels to the max. (Emily isn’t quite lucky enough to have two bikes, like her dad,  yet. Christmas is still not here……)

Emily Zinn after her victory Saturday in the Bowl of Death at the Louisville Rec Center

On Saturday, she was psyched for her home course advantage (the Bowl of Death is just over the hill from her house and where they train at least once a week) and for the foot of snow and plenty of mud, in which she loves riding. She had lots of Bowl of Death Wednesday morning training group regulars, cheering her on, as well as her mom Sonny and cousin Leif and Delilah (her faithful hound).
A bike change would have made a big difference; on the last lap, her rear wheel froze in place on the last run-up so it wouldn’t turn for remounting.
Saturday she beat a big field as it was part of the Colorado Cross Cup series, and she beat the woman who’s leading the series by almost a minute.

Emily on the top step after winning the Adrenalin Cross in Highlands Ranch

She also won the Adrenalin Cross race on Sunday against a smaller field under much colder temperatures (24F; Saturday must have been 30F or so during her race, as the sun was out).
Way to go Emily, the whole Zinn crew is rooting for you. Especially since there is no way the rest of us are going to go out there and race bikes in the snow.

Emily on a challenging, snowy climb. hope she brought toe warmers

Emily on the Adrenalin Cross course in Highlands Ranch, Colorado

This is why cyclocross racers have two bikes.

Emily still relishing her first win at the Bowl of Death after the others have left.

Here is a link to the race results: http://www.americancycling.org/results/cross#year=2011&eventId=905&resultsetId=7606