Meet Rotation Engineering Athlete Nick Lando

Nick Lando has enjoyed an impressive career so far in MTB and CX, with elite UCI wins and podiums, World Cup starts, and more! He’s a coach for CCNS and is heavily involved in the Competitive Edge Racing team. Be sure to follow him below!

What first drew you into competitive cycling, and what keeps you racing today?
I love the feeling of flow and repeatedly hitting marks. That feeling is addictive to me. What keeps me racing today is being able to utilize skills, and knowledge I have accrued over the last 15 years to find the flow and rhythm of riding no matter the terrain/the circumstance. There is nothing better than dancing through a rock garden or linking up a sequence of awkward turns in a way that carries momentum.

What has been your proudest race moment or breakthrough performance?
That is a tough one. My most proud accomplishment is probably my first UCI Elite win at Mont Tremblant in 2019. My biggest breakthrough performance was my entire 2018 CX season. Before then, I lucked my way to 1 UCI point but in every other race, I was a 20th place guy for years. Then I came in with no expectations, podiumed my first race of the season, and for the rest of the year my WORST race was 7th. It was pretty wild and felt like I had busted through a brick wall in my athletic journey,.

Can you walk us through your typical bike setup process before a big race?
I don’t like to change much. I spend a lot of time testing in the winter/early spring. Different tires, pressures, suspension, etc until I find something that is very balanced and easy to ride. If it’s not stable enough for me to let the brakes go on a downhill after seeing double sprinting up a climb, I don’t want it and I am not going to try to get it to that point on race day.

So then for a big race it is all about prep work. I make sure the bike is clean, lubed, everything that needs to be is tight, and anything that moves is moving freely. I want the bike to be smooth, quiet and I don’t want anything to break that could’ve been prevented from a pre race inspection.

How do you evaluate or select your drivetrain components?
First and foremost it needs to work and be reliable. It can’t be finicky or in consistent with normal use. I. have a minimum standard that anything I ride needs to meet. After that durability is the next thing I am looking for, and then the third thing I look for is price.

What details do you obsess over when it comes to drivetrain performance?
Some people hate creaks when they get out of the saddle, I HATE a gritty feeling chain. You only hear a creak, You can turn the music up there. A gritty chain you can hear and feel. I’ve always been very particular about how I clean my chain. I use special cleaners that not only soften/dissolve the grease but also remove dirt from the inside of the chain.

How do Rotation Engineering components fit into your race-day setup?
The first thing I ever experienced was the bottom brackets. I’ve had experience with several different ceramic bottom brackets over the years. From a performance standpoint, I couldn’t really tell a difference. There was one that was a little nicer but I bought into it because I could service it to get it to last longer. When I installed a Rotation Engineering BB into my bike I actually felt a big difference in how smooth it is. Something similar happened with waxing chains. I tried waxing with another brand, and I didn’t like it. It felt gritty and took forever to break in. I swore I never would wax again. Then I tried the rotation wax and I got everything out of the wax that I wanted to and none of the negative experiences I had with that other brand.

Have you noticed any performance differences since switching to Rotation parts?
For sure. The level of smoothness is unmatched by any competitor. I’m unclear on if it makes a difference from an efficiency/watts perspective, but if my bike is running smooth enough that I don’t ever think about it while riding and I can focus on the race, that’s a win.

What kind of race conditions do you feel Rotation products especially excel in?
All of it. Dry/dusty is where the performance benefits really shine. Mud is where the durability really comes through

What’s one overlooked maintenance or performance tip you’d share with younger racers?
If you asked me this a year ago I would’ve said replace your chain more than you think you need to. But now I think I would have to say, wheel bearings. Don’t wait for them to develop play to replace them. You wouldn’t race with a rubbing brake, so why race with a bearing that doesn’t spin smooth and free?

How do you mentally prep before a high-stakes event?
I try to keep everything the same as a low-stakes event. I find that overhyping the event, opens the doors for me to get into my head and not perform like I know how.

What role does the cycling community play in your journey?
It’s how I met most of my greatest friends. The bike race is an excuse to hang out with friends who live far enough away, I wouldn’t see them or ride with them under normal circumstances

How do you see your platform as a way to influence or mentor others?
I have spent years developing a reputation for being very genuine about my product recommendations. I won’t push something if I haven’t tried it, and I won’t push something If I don’t firmly believe in it. I feel that gives me credibility to anyone who knows me. As far as outreach, working for CCNS puts me in contact with a bunch of people who see me as “Coach Nick” so I am in a position to advise and help people solve problems.