Michelin says that 110 psi works best for bicycle tires. Think of your tires as springs too much pressure and they don't dance on the pavement.


I've gone fast enough to make CHP try to stop me! I didn't have a speedo or gps on but my helmet was howling in the wind. Oh, and in the rain!

First thing that comes to mind is is the fork perfect and is the wheel in the fork perfect? next is headset tension proper? Next front bearings. after that is the frame straight.

Think of a shopping cart front wheel. there's rake of steering angle and there's trail if the frame is doing it's job and the fork is doing it's job the rest is the problem. Bianchi has built a couple dozen race bikes are more it's not their fault.

100 psi for me too. It doesn't matter what or who's tire there are. For racing, then its a different story. YOu can pump tubular to high pressure but the ride is always far superior then a clincher. I like GP4000 and its pretty much all I ride (vittoras sometimes).

100 psi for me too. It doesn't matter what or who's tire there are. For racing, then its a different story. YOu can pump tubular to high pressure but the ride is always far superior then a clincher. I like GP4000 and its pretty much all I ride (vittoras sometimes). No Misty Tuffy, no armor type tires. Life's too short to be dragging my fat ass with big heavy tires. If I commute, that maybe a different, but I don't.


Jim, in the rain??? YOu are my hero. Crazy, because with down hills, there are always turns associated with it.

oh, how did I do that?

It was a bucket list thing.....I did the descent from Mt. Wilson first in 1973......did it again 40 years later.....heavier, better frame, more tire pressure and faster......The only difference was I road up on the bike instead of in my 911.

When I was racing back in the late 70s and early 80s we went through our bikes at least twice a year. This included replacing the headset bearings, all wheel bearings and a frame alignment. This was on all the bikes, both practice and race bikes. I checked the spoke tension and wheel alignment on all the wheels and after a race the race wheels. I had a tension gauge and it was a godsend as I used to make my own. For the road races we used to do in Mexico that had higher hills or the state races that went up to any above average height, I took them to Zumwalt's shop in San Diego and he would balance them with the race sew ups glued on.

Hey Mike,

come down Big T. Don't mess around with going up the 2 hwy anymore. Too many crazy porsche drivers and motorcycles, but there isn't anyone on BigT. It is also steeper so it hurts like hell going up. there are a couple of long(Ish) straights where you can get going past 45mph with ease. On Angeles hwy, you must pedal just to keep up with the cars coming down.

Speed, tell us what did you find on the front end of that bike.

Yeah I agree...I actually went down HWY 39 before the slide that closed it down to Azusa. My Dadz (shutup Sid) ran the Beer Cellar at Kratka Ridge Ski area.

They used to plow it up to KR in the Winter. My track and cross country teams used to train up there....lot's of krazy stuff went on up there.....

There were beer up there? I ski Kratka a couple of times in my youth. Those moguls gave me a good kicking.

KR was a rental from the US Forest Service. I grew up there.

Under the main single chair lift.......Chrysler Hemi running on a single barrel Carter carb and propane. The lift, the bar and the owners quarters burned down after some tweekers rented the place..... cooking meth.....BOOM.

Used to have great early snow until the weather patterns changed.

Solvang Century in '86

First the CHP hit the sirens, I didn't slow

second he hit the PA, I didn't slow

Third he past me on a straight lights blazing I didn't slow

Fourth he jumped in front of me and break checked me! I went around him and kept going! I figured he would get me at the next sag stop.



I drove up to Solvang from Long Beach in my 1966 GT 390 Fairlane. Girlfriend rented a B&B in Santa Barbara. Do up to Solvang Friday to get numbers, back to SB to Sleep and back to Solvang the next morning to ride. The Alarm went off an hour late and I drove that beast at 135 for more than a few miles up! I figure that I had that speed for 7 minutes due to the music tracks that was on the tape deck.

Not to shabby for having two bikes on the roof.


After doing the ride it was a real Frick'en joy to drive that beast home. No power steering, no power brakes, and a 2,800 foot pound clutch!



Every bearing and some of the cones in the hubs got rebuilt after that ride including the Regina freewheels.

Spent 20 years in SB county.....they loved and hated bikes......

Did he write you a ticket? That damn Solvang century is a long day in the saddle. II have only done it once.

I was faster than a crown vic in the rain.

Solvang Century....finished once dropped once.....later in the evening ended up in the only hospital with an appendix removal.....

Cottage Hospital bites the big one....

good reason for the drop!

You grew up in Eagle Rock? This was how you spend your winters? What a blast? I think it was 86 or 87 I skied up there.

ERHS grad 1975. Glendale College Hall of fame 1976......CSULA after that.....I MAY have seen you there as I went north in 89....lifetime free ski pass.......

It was my first year of college at PCC. We decided to ditch Architecture class and go up and ski after a good rain from the previous week.

YOu guys took care of the day to day operations?