In late 2013 I built a road bike (not pictured) from individual parts. I built it using a 2012 Fuji Altamira frame and fork, 11 speed Campagnolo Chorus, and Mavic Wheels. It was a fun project to source all the parts and put it together. I have enjoyed riding this bike in the 11 years since I built it.

The bike has not been without issues. A few years ago the rear derailleur broke. What broke is not important to mention here, except that in the end my father in law was able to weld a fix, and I remain appreciative of that. The bigger problem is that very shortly after I built up my bike, Campagnolo made a small change to their 11 speed products that broke backwards compatibility. A replacement to my 11 speed rear derailleur was basically impossible to find, hence the need to fix the derailleur with welding. Since then, I've known that if anything broke again, I'd either have to buy a whole new component group, or a whole new bike. In a sense, I've been on borrowed time.

In the intervening decade since I built the bike, there have been a few major changes to road bikes:

• Rim brakes have been replaced with disc brakes. I think that disc brakes are wonderful on mountain bikes, I have them on my MTB. For road bikes I think they are less crucial. The stopping power of rim brakes is more than enough for road bikes. However, disc brakes on road bikes is the direction the market has gone, probably for better (on balance) than worse.
• Electronic shifting replaced the cable actuated shifting with batteries, wires (or radio signals), and servos. Instead of levers, the shifters on the handlebars are simply buttons and moving the derailleurs is handled by a computer. I have been manually shifting for over 35 years without too many problems, but I am also not a luddite and the precision and speed of electronics are hard to beat.
• Internal cable routing runs cables inside as much of the bike structure as possible. There are aerodynamic advantages to this, and it also prevents dirt from accumulating on the cables. It also makes installing and servicing the cables much, much harder. Personally, I like the look of a bike with internal cabling.
• Tire clearance has inflated (ha!) dramatically. My Fuji can only handle 25C tires, while many modern road bikes can handle 32C or higher. Partially enabled by disc brakes (because rim brakes struggle to reach around large tires), larger tires allow for lower tire pressures that make riding more comfortable.
• Tubless tires remove the tubes inside tires. This is similar to tires on cars, except that bike tires typically have liquid sealant inside. On a mountain bike the advantages of tubeless are many, not least of which they eliminate the possibility of pinch flats. I have tubeless tires on my mountain bike and I think that they are well worth the hassle. On road bikes the advantages are less clear. The tire sealant only works at lower pressures, around 40 PSI. This means that a tubeless tire inflated to 90 PSI that gets a small leak will simply hiss out sealant (spraying it everywhere) until around 40 PSI, at which point the sealant can do its job. But then the tire is at 40 PSI, and you're squishing along on a really soft tire that's better than a fully flat tire, but not by much.

In summary, there have been a number of changes to road bikes in the last decade, most of which my Fuji either couldn't take advantage of, or wasn't worth doing. I decided it was time to get a new bike that had some or all of the new technologies.

After thinking about it for many (many) months, looking at lots of options (there is a spreadsheet), in early August 2024 I ordered a custom painted Orbea Orca road bike from a local shop. I have always liked Orbea bikes, and Orbea custom painted bikes cost the same as off-the-shelf models. Many other manufacturers charge extra for custom painting. The three month wait is fine if you already have a bike. I've always wanted a yellow and black bike, and that's what I got. I even have my name on the bike!

Of all the technologies mentioned above, the only one my bike doesn't have is tubeless tires. It is "tubeless capable," but I don't think I will do that. It has 12 speed Shimano Di2 electronic shifting with hydraulic disc brakes. The tires are 32C, quite a bit bigger than what I have on my Fuji.

The Shimano Di2 system is semi-wireless. Each shifter has a coin battery and communicates wirelessly with the derailleurs, and the derailleurs share a rechargeable battery that's stored in the seat tube. As shown below, the shifters can connect to my Garmin 530 and it can show what gear I'm in and the state of the batteries. Supposedly for average usage the derailleur battery lasts a few months, but having this view will be useful.

As I write this, I have only gone on one short ride to acquaint myself with the bike and adjust things. I think I will probably change the saddle and I may also change the seat post. I think the bike looks wonderful, it rides great, and I'm excited to ride it more. Of course, it's heading into winter here, and opportunities to ride will be less than in the summer. But that's okay, it will allow me to make sure it's set up the way I want in time for the spring and summer.

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Here is the 2024 page for the Tour Pool I've been a part of for 17 years. I'm on team Florky which are in second to last place as I write this. Which is pretty typical.

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As I have since 2007, I am scorekeeping a Tour de France fantasy team pool. Please click here to see how poorly my "Team Florky" is doing as the tour progresses.

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Above is a collection of worn-out cycling shorts and jerseys that I am going to get rid of. All the shorts are worn out and uncomfortable. The jerseys have holes or are being held together with safety pins. Basically, I don't see myself wearing any of this ever again.

Judging by how long since I last purged my old cycling clothes, I will do this all over again in about 9 years.

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As I have since 2007, I am scorekeeping a Tour de France fantasy team pool. Please click here to see how poorly my "Team Florky" is doing as the tour progresses.

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Earlier this year I bought a 2018 Santa Cruz Tallboy C. This is my first full squish mountain bike, and it is awesome. The thing just floats over rocks and is much more forgiving than my old hard tail. It has 29" wheels, a 12 speed cogset, disc brakes, and a dropper post, all of which make the bike completely different from what I'm used to. Comparing times on Strava, I am faster on descents and any reasonably bumpy sections with this bike, which isn't exactly the point of getting a bike like this, but it is nice. There are trails I had stopped riding with my old hard tail because they were not fun that this bike makes fun. And that's the point.

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As ever, please check this link to see how poorly my Tour de France pool team ("Team Florky") is doing. Maybe one of these days I'll actually try to put a team together that performs well.

But probably not.

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For the eleventh year, I am the scorekeeper for a Tour de France Pool. My team, "Team Florky," has already lost one of its better riders after the first stage. This year looks to be as poor a performance as usual, then, for my team.

See full results here.

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Here's the standings page for the 2016 edition of the Tour de France pool. Go Team Florky!

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In the process of clearing out some old files, I came across these historical documents of the two collegiate cycling national championships I've helped organize. I have scanned them and uploaded them for your enjoyment.

• 2007 Track Nationals Rider Manual – hosted by UCSD. The pink color is on the original and an artifact of a printing error. PDF File
• 2003 Road Nationals Rider Manual – hosted by UC Berkeley. PDF File.
• 2003 Road Nationals Logo – this awesome logo was made by my good friend Kristin Prentice. It still looks sharp!

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My Tour Pool 2015 page is up! Check it out daily after each stage to see how terrible my team (Florky) is doing (as it does every year!).

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Below are some photos of the homemade parts I made for the truck that my old bike rack can interface with. I used pieces of shelf rail that hold the Yakima feet, and attach the whole stack to the rails on the side of the bed. This arrangement allows me to dis/mount the rack in a minute or so, which is how things have worked on previous vehicles with the rack, and I'm happy that it can work the same here. It's not the prettiest thing, and I suppose I could paint them black so they blend in better. Anyway, they were about $250 cheaper than the "official" Yakima system, so a little unsophistication is acceptable.

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My Tour Pool 2014 page is up! Check it out daily after each stage to see how terrible my team (Florky) is doing (as it does every year!).

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Unfortunately, this is now about 40 minutes away, but the above view isn't too shabby.

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Just a quick note: It's time again for the 2012 edition of the Tour de France pool hosted by Kris Wells. I am the scorekeeper, which I have been for several years.

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