Two Fatties' Ride

I'm back. Back online and back in Oz. And I'm feeling very lucky, considering I flew with the big "spirit of Oz" kangaroo and could be sitting in Heathrow or Hong Kong for the next couple of days had my timing be slightly different.

And before you ask: Yes, the Canyon made it, too.

Apologies for the long silence. Dad's computer decided to die while I was over there, which was a blessing in disguise because it gave me the opportunity to catapult my parents into the 21st century with a new PC and faster internet connection. It also meant a few days of complete lack of interconnectivity. A blissful state to be in sometimes (especially when on holidays) because it made space for increased interpersonal connectivity and long walks in the park and more time for cake and ice cream.

Which brings me to my next apology. I hereby wish to make up for my unpardonable oversight of only posting photos of bikes and bergs and neglecting to show the cakes. So here they are, the reasons that lead to today's ride with my friend John, who also recently returned from an overseas holiday, being named the "Two Fatties' Ride". Dee, Anke, Kate... Enjoy!

Bergs and cakes

Don’t be fooled by my hometown’s name Senftenberg. No bergs anywhere near.

Dad announced over breakfast that he had a surprise for me and after lunch we packed the bike and Mum and headed for Kamenz, a town about 40 km from Senftenberg.

We stopped at a big and very well equipped bike shop and I thought that this was my surprise. Nice chat about the local club, the local bunch rides (shame it’s too far from home to join them), the Lausitz Cup and other road races throughout the year and I was able to drool over all the winter gear from Assos and Gore and some other brands that I only admired and read about in magazines so far.

After coffee and … ahem … two pieces of cake: Black and red currant with cocos crumbles and plum with huge butter crumbles, I quickly got changed into bike gear for my 40 km ride home (which surely did not burn the bergs of cakes I ate but I swear I haven’t gained any weight, yet).

But wait! My surprise first: the Hutberg! In contrast with Senftenberg, the Hutberg in Kamenz is indeed a berg, not a huge one but a steep one. 23 % gradient at the steepest section, a gradient that I wasn’t too proud to walk during our Phuket holiday last year. Guess what? 23% are a piece of cake (another one!?) with a compact groupset and an 11 – 28 cassette!

The ride home was flat like a pancake but I rode tempo all the way and arrived in Senftenberg just in time to enjoy a marvellous sunset. And Dad was happy and proud that I liked his berg surprise.

Canyon Ultimate CF SLX 9.0

As you may have gathered from the photos of the previous few posts, there are absolutely no hills in the radius of 50km around here. The Garmin recorded a total of 96 m of ascending for yesterday’s two hour ride, which would have been the three flights of stairs that I shouldered my bike up to my parent’s apartment at the end of the ride.

How could I possibly write an objective report about a bike that is begging for mountains? Short of hijacking my parents and taking them on a road trip to the Alps, the next best thing was to bribe them with coffee and cake at a lovely little cafe in Königstein in the heart of Saxon’s Switzerland, only two hours drive from here, South of Dresden.

But let’s start from the beginning.

For months I had tossed up between Canyon’s Aeroad and one of the Ultimate SLX CF bikes. My heart was set on the Aeroad but the head won and I ordered the Canyon Ultimate CF SLX 9.0 two weeks before my planned trip to Germany so it would be there on my arrival.

The timing was perfect and the ordering was easy. Only the Canyon website’s sizing caused some initial confusion, suggesting a larger frame size than I felt was right. The email responses were timely and I sent my exact measurements - in seem, torso and arm length - that I had taken strictly according to Canyon’s instructions. They confirmed the website’s recommnended frame size of 56 (C-T), two sizes larger than my current Time and even a size larger than Alberto’s frame. After sitting down and comparing exact measurements of my current bike and the Canyon, I decided to ignore Canyon’s recommendation and order a size 52. I’m glad I did!

The bike arrived in a special Bikeguard box and was a breeze to put together.

There was only the black plastic spoke protection disc, which I couldn’t remove because I didn’t have the tools to remove the cassette first. I also didn’t want to cut it off just yet, in case I needed to send the bike back. Canyon offers a 30 day return policy.

And there was a hole in the headset. A quick phone call to Canyon and the hole was explained to me in technical German terms, which I struggled to understand. All I gathered was that no part or cover was missing and that it is a newly developed technology by Canyon, and that I didn’t have to worry about water getting in and causing damage because it would just drain.

There was also a second smaller box from Chainreactioncycles waiting for me with little bits and pieces such as Look Keo Blade Carbon pedals, Elite bottle cages, Clif Bar Shot Electrolyte Drink, Mavic arm warmers and some blue lubricant that smells like grapefruit. I had brought my Fizik Vitesse saddle from Australia.

I had my measurements from my bike fit with me, too, which helped giving me the „fitting feeling“ right from the first pedal stroke. I actually tried out the original saddle for the first few rides and it didn’t cause too much grief but I have swapped to my own saddle now. The seat post and saddle mount is a brilliant solution, and it saved me from throwing tools in frustration like I have in the past.

To date I’ve done 297 km, enough to be able to give a reasonably informed opinion that is best summed up with: The Canyon is a dream to ride!
It responds immediately when I push a bit harder, especially into a strong headwind, which I seem to encounter no matter what direction I ride on those flat open country roads.

The bike seems more stable than my Time Edge, too. Where I struggled for years with hands-free riding and tight cornering, the Canyon feels like on rails and corners much easier. I’m not sure whether the slightly different angles are the reason. I will have to read up some more to understand how the slightly different geometry effects the handling - more agile but less twitchy at the same time if that makes any sense at all.

I was dying to take the bike climbing so that day in Königstein I quickly got changed, got the bike out of the car and Dad gave me directions where he would collect me again in an hour’s time. He assured me that there would be some climbing from Bad Schandau to Sebnitz and he didn’t promise too little.

First I took the cobblestone lane right behind the cafe, up to the church, with the medival fortress looming above. Then I headed along the river Elbe, across the big bridge and quickly found the right turn that Dad had described. The road turned up and the bike really started showing off. I don’t think it was just my fresh legs and the air so crisp. Already impressed on flat roads, now I really understood the difference that this feather weight of a bike makes, 6.9 kg including pedals, bottle cages and Garmin. Simply groovalicious!

The other noticable difference? With climbing in mind, I took the plunge and swapped to a compact groupset and against my initial fears that – big gear mesher that I am – I would hate the small chain ring, so far I have hardly used the big one. I am curious to ride my Time again when I get back to Australia to really notice the difference.

You must be tired of me raving about the bike by now so I leave it at that – at least for now! Please let me know if I left something out that really is of interest to you and I will make sure I cover it in one of my next posts.

Village hopping and gigantic coal mining equipment

In grade eleven I spraint my ankle badly. I remember how upset I was because I couldn’t walk, run or practise karate for three long weeks. But riding my bike was relatively pain free. I had a silver road bike that my parents had bought for 100 German Marks at a Polish flea market. That summer, every day after school I quickly finished my homework and then grabbed my bike and rode the 20km to my grandparent’s place, stayed for dinner and rode home again, always taking the same road straight through a shut down open coal mine.

Smooth bitumen, very few cars and a moon-like landscape with young mixed forest (re-forestation) – my grandparents and I loved the ritual and were a little sad when my ankle eventually healed and my visits became less frequent.

Naturally, I was keen to ride along memory lane this time around, only no longer able to visit my grandparents. Instead I planned to take the turn just before my grandparent’s old town sign and continue to Lichterfeld to see a gigantic piece of old coal mining equipment that I had heard about.

The Förderbrücke F60 only had a trial run a few months before the wall fell. With the changes that followed, the coal mine was closed and the huge conveyer bridge, brand new and now useless was doomed to be blown up. Instead, a volunteer group formed and took on the project of preserving it and creating a tourist attraction, an open air display with guided tours and the lot.

I was told that I would be able to see the gigantic construction from kilometers away but I found a Road Closed sign only a few kilometer from my destination. I started following the signed detour but soon realised that it would take me a long distance away, through more open coal mining area. It got boring and I wanted to be back home for breakfast so I decided to turn around and leave the Förderbrücke for another ride.

The next morning, I took the other route, along the outer edge of the former coal mine, hopping from one village to village, one quieter and quainter than the next, separated by short stretches of birch and oak tree forests, old and ancient. This time I made it and was impressed by the pile of mining scrap metal at the edge of the former mine.

Apparently it’s the length of the Paris Eiffel Tower, just laying horizontally.

On my return trip there was still no soul to be seen on the streets but the sun came up over the horizon and I couldn’t get enough of the golden autumn colours. Another perfect morning ride… just short of 50km and Dad was about to put coffee on just as I opened the door to my parent’s apartment...

Discovering "die alte Heimat" by bike

In some cases jetlag is a wonderful thing. I was wide awake at 5am and what better way to make use of an early start than to get out on the bike to (re)discover my old home town. Balmy 23C inside my parent's apartment made me wonder whether to choose sommer or winter clothes for my ride. But when I stepped outside the building I was glad I wore my full finger gloves and winter jacket.

Dad had mentioned something about the Rusty Nail and the Radwanderweg around the newly created lakes. Senftenberg is surrounded by former open coal mines, which were useless waste land a few years ago and are now slowly transformed into a beautiful recreational landscape of lakes, bike pathes, canals, hotels and campgrounds. After the wall came down and Germany reunited, the coal mining industry went bust and there is hope that tourism will create jobs and new prosperity for the region.

And they are doing a great job. The lakes are still in the process of being filled but the infrastructure is already there.

A quick detour via the town centre and then I headed out of town the direction my dad had pointed me. The Rusty Nail turned out to be an observation tower of unique and stunning design, something the locals apparently don't quite appreciate. Hence the name...

The sunrise was just as scenic and once the village churches were dipped in orange hues. The fog slowly lifted off the fields and I felt content and entirely at home.

I had promised my parents to be back by eight and bring fresh bread rolls. Five to eight and there was already hustle and bustle at the local market. I was tempted to stop and check it out but the smell of coffee hang in the air and with 33 leisurely kilometers in my legs I was not quite ready but ok to make my way home down familiar street for breakfast.

First impressions

The Canyon was put together in no time, before I had even unpacked my bag, but that’s a different story. A quick phone call to Canyon and the friendly guy from their customer service centre confirmed that the hole in the headset was indeed intended. Something about brand new technology developed by Canyon – I will have to read up on it.

But my first ride had to be postponed yet another little while. My luggage hadn't made it with me to Germany. It wasn’t the first time and I'm glad I still fit into my clothes from eleven years ago. And fashion has almost come full circle anyway...

In my luggage were my bibs and jerseys, my Sidis and helmet. Not having cycling shoes wouldn't have held me back from taking it outside, riding with runners, bare foot even. The missing helmet? Not a big deal. I don't need one here - at least not by law.

What held me back was lack of air! To my surprise and horror my parent's bike pump didn't fit the presta valves and my mini pump, yes, it was also in the luggage that was still trying to find its way from Singapore to London. It was too late in the day to get to the bike shop to get the tires pumped - alas – one more sleep wasn’t making such a difference anymore after I had waited for so long.

The luggage tracers called and confirmed that the suitcase would be delivered safely to our door step sometime the next morning.

My first few meters on the new bike – they were actually done on the very same road on which I had learnt riding a bike some 31 years ago.

The first stop was the bike shop for a little top up with a proper track pump. I also took the opportunity to ask if they knew about any bunch rides in the area. Funny that the guy in the bike shop remembered that we had bought Schwalbe tires in his shop four years ago. There are not that many Aussies walking into my shop who speak such good German he said.

He admired the new bike, asked a lot of questions about cycling in Australia and half an hour later I was on was on my way, armed with lots of route suggestions for the area.

Riding over cobble stones, on the right hand side of the road, drivers waiting and giving heaps of space, and brakes the European way – the left brake lever is for the front, the right pulls he rear – and the weather so beautiful, temperatures in the high twenties and the sky so blue – Indian summer! I rode along the lake and memories of past summer holidays made me smile.

Before I knew it, it was time to turn around and find the cafe where I met my parents for coffee and cheesecake. I think I will have to do a lot of riding over the next few weeks if I want to still fit my clothes after the holiday.