About Arvid’s Mechanical Counterparts

p>Without a bicycle, even the greatest cyclist cannot complete, much less compete in, any race of any kind. To complete a trek as grueling, unforgiving, and long as a 12-day race across the entire United States of America, you can’t just use any bicycle.

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Bikes & Beyond

In addition to sponsoring Arvid with top-class racing bicycles, Bikes and Beyond has provided expert mechanic assitance to make sure his bikes are tuned to maximum performance.

A giant among bikes

Arvid rides a GIANT “Defy” custom touring road frame equipped with Dura-Ace Rims and Continental Handmade Slicks. It runs a 18-speed transmission system, and it’s specialized components are all extremely lightweight and optimized for strength and aerodynamics.

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Carbon Fiber Construction

Carbon fiber is a 20th century innovation. Small fibers of graphite carbon are woven into meshes, much like baskets are wovement. At high tension, they are set into rigid forms using expoy resin, creating a rigid material that is both incredibly light and incredibly strong — Arvid’s frame and the front fork are all carbon, as well as various components.

Hybrid Brake-Shifters

The brake levers also incorporate gear shifters into them. When pulled, they trigger the brakes, but pushing them perpendicular to their mounts controls transmission. This concentrates transmission and braking into one location, allowing the hands instant access to both at once. Both brake mechanisms are standard cable-driven rim brakes.

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Outfitted for Extended Riding

Protruding out from the center of the handlebars is another set of parralel handlebars, and above the center of the handlebars are canadian pharmacy healthcare a pair of padded armest cups. Resting the forearms in the armests while gripping the perpendicular handlebars allows relief of the hands, arms muscles, and back, which come under intense stress during climbs viagra sale usa and extended periods of intense steering and navigation, like for instance, Arvid’s 3-hour downhill run out of Flagstaff on Day 4.

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Slick Ride

While it may be hard to imagine having no treads on your tires, high-performance competitive road racing is almost done universally with slicks — tires without any tread. The lack of ridges and bumps on the tires mean there is a great amount of surface area contact between the tires and the road, translating as much of Arvid’s vertical leg power to forward motion. The downside to slicks is that they are more likely to lose traction and slide than treaded tires when the road or pavement becomes wet or dusty — Arvid has dealt with this issue in thundery rainstorm with just slicks.

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Comfort

Most racers race thin, narrow seats, but Arvid has opted for a cushioned seat as they are more comfortable when spending whole day not only sitting, moving legs up and down, coming into continuous contact with the seat.

Preparing for Issues.

In addition to the bike he rides, the follow Caravan carries two bikes on the roof. The first is a near-perfect duplicate of the one Arvid

is riding, and the second is an older TREK wide-frame road bike, an older design of bike. This bike is along because of its granny gear. A granny gear is an extra small gear ring on the fork (the front gear attached to the peads), which is an easier bike to work with when climbing steep inclines. It is more than likely that either bike will ever have to be used beyond one of its tires being swapped out when flats on Arvid’s bike happen.

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TO EACH HIS OR HER OWN

The truth is that each rider will ride a unique setup – unique frame size, tread amount, seat shape, gear configuration, handlebar shape, bike type, and riding posture. There is no perfect setup — only a set of proven principles to go by and work with in the hunt for a setup most suited to a rider and the race at hand. Arvid’s

The end is in site! Find more information on watching Arvid’s big finish LIVE here.

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Posted in The Ride
2 comments on “About Arvid’s Mechanical Counterparts
  1. Nikolay says:

    I remember the first time you bghruot this up I was asking whether it was going to be a problem, you and I both launching products within a week of each other, simply because our audiences somewhat overlap. I didn’t really think of it as stealing thunder but your article helped me clarify my thoughts I thought of it as overwhelming people, and that’s because in my family, a big deal is made about *everything*. So if you announce your pregnancy at the same time that someone else announces their engagement, the women in my family will bend over backward (figure of speech!) to make sure that everyone gets their due attention paid to them. I didn’t really see it as thunder-stealing, but I find it so tiring! I suppose I’m lucky my family doesn’t react like your friend’s sister. Who has the energy to plot to steal thunder? The very idea makes me want to go to bed and shut the world out.

  2. Elfie Kehler says:

    Could not fall asleep (a problem that Arvid and the crew at this time do not have)so I am up in front of the computer watching the race.
    Thank you for Bikes & Beyond for the great work they do with the bikes.
    It is getting closer to the end, and so we are praying for the ride to go without any disruption until you cross the finish line.
    May the Lord sustain you as you pedal one stroke at the time, may he fill you with renewed strength and ambition and provide you with the willpower that is required to continue and complete the task you set out to do.
    God be with you at this time.

Project Description

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Participate

To participate by riding your bike in support of MCF, download the PDF.

GrandpasCan 2020 Training

Arvid's stats are updated daily in an online spreadsheet. Click here.

Prayer Requests

May 20: As the ride begins, pray that we will have strength equal to the task ahead!

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About MCF

Charles Mulli is a former street child from the slums of Kenya. He became extremely successful in business, but then God called him to give it all up and care for the orphaned and abandoned children still on the streets in Kenya. Charles Mulli is the founder and CEO of Mully Children's Family. To learn more about MCF, click here.

Arvid's Role

God has called me (Arvid) to be an ambassador for Mully Children's Family. I have chosen to use ultramarathon cycling as my platform from which to fulfill this calling. You can follow my ride, here, at www.grandpascan.com/ride. To read more about me and my story, click here.

Donate

I am asking you to help. I am trying to raise funds for the ongoing and capital expenses for the child mothers program at MCF. This program provides the critical life skills the young mothers need. To learn more about donating, click here.

Media Contact

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