As the crank turns… tales of life on the rims

Enzo’s ButtonHole Chamois Cream

I got an early lead on a new product coming to the chamois cream market and it peaked my interest.  Let me shed some light on the subject of chamois cream for those that don't know or who don't use it:

Cycling is an endurance sport.  Unlike other "sports" that can be started or finished in an hour or less with multiple opportunities to catch your breath or regain your composure cycling requires that you plant your soft bits onto an over-glorified and awfully expensive piece of plastic, carbon, steel and leather.  Some might actually pay "professionals" to subject them to that kind of torture but in general cyclists aren't the kind of crowd that need to memorize a safety word before the Tuesday Night World Championships.  When one becomes a little serious with their cycling habit one of the first things they do is go buy some "bibs" or lycra shorts with padding.

Considering this same crew likes to shave their legs, dress in lycra and spend hours on end staring at another man's lycra clad buttocks a foot or so in front of their face - IF they're "lucky" or if they are wheel-"sucking"....I might need to revisit that safe word comment - but I digress.

The hours of pressure and movement, even with good tight fitting shorts with a modern elastic chamois (padding - yes it used to be made out of real chamois....and once upon a time I used to ride a bike without a helmet) can cause certain "things" to happen that should never happen "there".  Being the techno nerdy crew that cyclists tend to be various solutions have been tried and implements with varying degrees of success.  One - usually one of the last addictions a rider tends to pick up - is what we affectionately refer to as chamois cream.

This is a fancy name for taint lube/lotion.  Nice, right?  In the early days it was simply Vasoline.  Some use various lotions or homemade concoctions.  A while back a few cycling specific formulas started becoming popular.  Chamois Butt'r was probably the start of the equipment centric naming trend.  Then Assos (no really that's the name of a great Swiss clothing company....not a reference to their obsession with our butts) and finally DZ Nuts being the heavy hitters.  Most of the dyed in the wool junk yard juice users used to single-handedly (not that hand) agree that Assos was the reining king of the realm.  At some point though the precious Assos formula was changed.  No longer would the masses enjoy that famous tingly heat.

DZ Nuts became the defacto dictator - spreading it's influence across the foundations of the community.  While a great product in and of itself the near $25 price for 4 fl oz of product was enough to make the ever budget conscious racers stand up and take notice.  I mean after all the people need to save their dough for important things....like wheels and power meters.  ;)

Around this time the Chuck Norris of Chicago Cycling (my favorite in that link is the one about filling gaps) spent a great deal of time and resources researching and developing a product destined to fill the void between Asso's change and DZ's price.  The result?  Enzo's ButtonHole Chamois cream.

Attractively priced at $19.95 for 8oz (Double that of DZ's) it seemed well placed to move into the market.

Personally I had a long history of NOT using chamois cream.  I found that most high quality bibs with nice chamois would be fine for the type of riding I was doing - without the need for added "lubrication".  I held to this belief until the "one" day.  This was the 2 man TTT Arron Hampton and I did 2 seasons ago or so.  At that time I found that what I recall as a 60k TT was a LONG time to spend on a TT bike with that much pressure put in places it shouldn't be.  Add to that I don't spend much time in a TT position and it becomes apparent that the pressure was being put in areas that never usually see it.  By the end I was "torn up" about the situation and decided I needed to do something about it.

Before my next TT I went out to get some Assos.  The shop was out and only had DZ's.  After using it for the TT I was a convert.  So much so I use chamois cream on every ride now.  When I became aware that Enzo's was about to come out I had to get in line.  It was with eager anticipation that I received my first samples to try.  On first impression it smells delightful.  Kind of a mix between a mint chocolate chip ice cream mixed with a brownie smothered in Girl Scout Thin mint cookies.  Can you tell I haven't had lunch yet?

Application yields the same kind of warm tingly that I have become addicted to, and long term performance in the saddle - where it counts - has thus far been everything I had hoped it would be.  So much so that I have now decided to become a dealer.  The large 8 oz tubs are in stock and ready for shipment.  The pricing is $19.95.  Feel free to inquire with your custom wheel inquiry or simply e-mail psimet at psimet dot com for an invoice.

Cobb Park

So - riding down in Florida was like it always is - Hot and flat.  I did get over 200 miles in that week but then followed it up with a week of near nothing.  Between the business and work and supplier shortages on both fronts ...anyway.

Needless to say I was looking at Cobb Park as an opportunity to push my body back into "oh...yeah this is what it's like" mode.  I decided to only race the 30+ 4/5 instead of the multiple races I could have done.  I got there in time to see the end of the 4's.  On their last lap someone washed out in the last real turn before coming down and around to the finish.  Our man Joe got taken out but a majority of the guys I was watching made it through.

Joe tore up his hand and was under the impression that he had broken his collarbone....so he decided he was good to race the next race.

The field was a little thinner (in count - not weight) than normal.  Can only guess it was because of ToAD action up in Cheeselandia.  The wreck in the 4's must have taken out the really sketchy guys because our race went fairly smoothly...mostly.  1 or 2 laps in I was chatting with Bryan Fuller when a Turin rider moved right in the tight left hand turn 2 and caused a chain reaction that ended with Bryan getting pinched on the curb there - going down in slow motion and at low speed.  Kind of a, "hey....hold it....wha?....nOOooooo...OOOOumph! <crack, crackThud>".....so I accelerated.  It's like instinct.

As I came around I saw Bryan's wife sitting there and was able to yell, "Bryan WENT DOWN!"  then realized I should add, "BUT HE's FINE!"

He re-joined after his free lap and we went back to the do-si-do that is midwestern crit racing - riding around and waiting for the sprint to happen.  I felt fairly good and chalked it up to an easy crit.  Turns out i don't think it ended up being slow it was just that it was fairly smooth.  Whomever was missing from that race that is normally there.....you might be the one that's been causing all the problems this season.  Just sayin...

It seemed to be my day to be caught behind wrecks.  I saw a few small ones here and there.  A guy clipped the curb in that little chicane thingy and went down hard in front of me.  Still not sure how I made it around him but I did.  Smelled my brakes for a while after that.  As we started to ratchet it up in the las 4-5 laps guys started going down with a little more frequency.  At one point someone overshot a turn and ended up riding over the grass/sidewalk.  typical cat 4/5 stuff.

These little stutters combined with the driving on the front made for some accordion in the last few laps that claimed quite a few victims.  I sat up a few times thinking..."this is it" but found I came back.  ended up finishing right off the back of the pack.  Same place....different week.

Joe nabbed 3rd after getting pinched at the line.

After that I stuck around to see Scott Knoepke race the Cat3 race.  He mentioned to me before that day that there would probably be a break.  I was all, "no....not on that course...."  shows what I know.  There wouldn't be a break in any category I race in but with the 3's Jason K. attacked from the start.  I knew Scott wanted to be in a break but he figured he was going to wait until about 30 minutes in before looking for one.  This one was Jason though and the field was all black riding on the front.  I knew he was going to have to go and catch it or be stuck racing around in the pack.

Sure enough he bridged up a few laps into it and the break was whittled down to 3.  I started tracking time splits and was yelling them out.  I could see Jason turning his head to hear so I was never really sure how much info was getting to the group or not.  A couple of times the field tried to organize a chase - a guy here or there - but nothing was going.  Lots of yelling in the pack from what I could hear.  Lots of unhappy chasers.  Simple numbers though - 2 guys in the break wearing black and the majority of the field....black jerseys.  Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what's going on when they come through the "fast" section 4-6 wide and sitting up-right with all black jerseys on the front.

Whipple was still in the pack and if it was going to get shut down Whipple would be just the kind of guy to get it done.  It seemed like he went after it early but then sat up.  Turns out he's been sick all week and just didn't have it in him (get better John).   I watched the splits go from :30 down to :25 when they were trying to chase and then they just worked their way up to :40-:50.  With about 5-6 laps left when I yelled to the pack they were :50 or so back a couple of guys on the front just sat straight up.  They were done.  I yelled to the front group that was it and they were in with no chasing - ride smart and have fun and enjoy it.

I had a feeling Jason would launch.  I have never watched him race but I am sure there aren't many who want to sprint against Scott - just from sizing him up.  It's funny because he actually has a vicious TT motor....and can sprint when he needs to.  Sure enough Jason went with a few to go and came in 1st.  Scott had a great 3rd and a huge victory.  Essentially he is still a brand new cat 3 who is still recovering from his surgery he had early this season.

In late reporting Jeff Bernaeyge nabbed wors race #4 3rd place sport single speed:

Sponsored rider Debbie Dust also nailed a 5th at Grafton Pro 1/2/3 women's race - riding PSIMET 50mm carbon:

To wrap up the rest of the updates I have missed recently - Sherman park, etc:

Raviv Wolfe - Wonder Lake - 2nd 4/5 masters, 4th cat 4.  **upgraded to a 3**

Tim Speciale - 1st place Wonder Lake Cat 3 - Hells Yes.

Scott Knoepke - 3rd Sherman Park Cat 3, 8th Wonder Lake cat 3

John Low - 7th Wonder Lake Cat 5

Rubber side down.  Let's go racing!

Quarq Group Buy

PSIMET, LLC is now officially a Quarq dealer and to celebrate I have opened a Group Buy on Bike Forums. Check it out: http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdisplay.php?268-Group-Buy